


Plastic prick

by Wixiany



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Connor Anderson, EXTREME SLOWBURN, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Father Hank, Father-Son Relationship, Gavin has a cat, Gavin is not a complete asshole, Investigation, Little bit of angst, M/M, Serial Killer, Slow Burn, a lot of swearing, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-06-07 19:38:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 35,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15226404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wixiany/pseuds/Wixiany
Summary: Detective Reed seems to hate Connor no matter what, but the universe keeps putting Connor into situations where he can't avoid the overly rude detective. With a possible serial killer on loose, they have no choice but to work together and hopefully, not kill each other.





	1. Elevator

Connor had finished his work for the day. With all the reports written he could go home. With his back straight as always he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button required to take him to the ground floor.

As the metallic door moved to shut, a hand quickly got in the way and with a wave of cursing, a detective stepped in. “Detective Reed,” Connor greeted him politely, standing his ground in the corner of the elevator.

“Ugh, plastic,” Reed rolled his eyes. “Don’t fucking talk to me. Jesus.” He took his place on the other end, as far from Connor as possible, crossing his arms while still holding a case file and leaning on the wall, steadily ignoring Connor’s presence. 

While the atmosphere in the elevator wasn’t hostile, there was a certain amount of tension. In the past weeks after the android revolution and since he became deviant, Connor had been trying to adjust to humans and their habits. He had learned that especially ‘small talk’ was what humans preferred in situations like this. But with detective Reed… all his attempts had failed and so he opted for silence. 

There was an odd screeching sound, like metal on metal and merely a second later the elevator stopped. The motion throwing both off them of balance. Connor managed to stay on his feet while detective Reed grumbled as he barely caught himself on the wall. “Fucking hell is this,” he didn’t disappoint. 

Connor’s LED blinked yellow few times, his eyes unfocused before he glanced at the detective, addressing him directly. “I have contacted the building’s maintenance, there is no need to worry.”

“Who the fuck said anything about worry, prick?” detective threw at Connor’s face, hitting the metal wall in anger. “…would think they can make fucking working elevators if they can make plastic toys,” he muttered under his breath. If Connor didn’t have his audio processor that enabled him to hear more clearly than humans could, the comment would go past him, only, he wasn’t human.

“I doubt the functioning of elevator has anything to do with the technological progress. All machines can break,” Connor said without looking at the detective. 

Reed took the opportunity Connor inadvertently gave him. “Can you break? After all, you are nothing more than a machine, a glorified elevator.”

Connor squinted his eyes in confusion, it made him look like a perfect human, without the LED that had turned yellow as he pondered the question, no one would be able to tell he was an android. “My functions are significantly different from those of an elevator, I don’t see how-”

The detective rolled his eyes again. “Let it go, plastic, or your wires will fry.”

“What’s wrong with this thing,” the detective complained, his frustration showing as he aggressively pushed the buttons on the panel.

“That won’t help.”

“Are you fucking kidd-” The detective was cut short as the light in the elevator blinked a few times before they found themselves in a complete dark.

There was an eerie silence, the only light left being Connor’s yellow LED. The detective seemed a little stunned at the sudden turn of events. Connor noticed the jagged scar on his nose was more prominent in the dim setting.

“I- I can’t contact anyone.”

“What do you mean you can’t contact anyone?” The detective pushed his LED with one finger. “Just use this fucking thing!”

The thing, as the detective so nicely referred to his LED, turned an alarming red for a split second. “I would prefer if you wouldn’t do that,” Connor defended himself as soon as the detective dropped his finger from his face. It was… uncomfortable. “As I said, I am unable to reach anyone. There must be something going on at the station.”

The scowl on the detective’s face didn’t disappear, but he made no more rude comments. “A blackout?” 

Connor thought about it for a while. It seemed like a possible explanation for the sudden lack of electricity in the building. He nodded his head, the detective was most likely right.

Reed was looking somewhere over Connor’s shoulder, appearing deep in thought. It had always surprised Connor how the detective could simply go from a mean, ever-pessimistic man to a serious detective. He was rather good at his job and with the witnesses, human, that was. His overall attitude to androids was pretty similar to how he treated Connor. Even though Connor was aware of this side of detective Reed’s personality, seeing it first-hand still felt odd. He worked with Hank on most cases and so seeing Reed at work was more of a special occurrence for him.

“Is there something you can do?” the detective asked.

“No.”

“Fuck. What now?” The detective slumped to the ground, his hands resting on his knees, Connor’s eyes following his movement. He didn’t feel the need to answer, he had already told the detective he couldn’t do anything to change their current, rather unpleasant, situation.

Connor kept his eyes at the detective for probably longer than appropriate. He didn’t even see when the detective turned his head to him, eyebrows raised and waiting. “The fuck you staring at, prick?”

“I- I apologize, detective Reed. I wasn’t aware I was… staring,” Connor admitted reluctantly. His face was so innocent, no one would question his almost childish obliviousness. From then on, Connor made sure to keep his gaze right in front of him on the dark wall in order not to irk the detective more than he already had. They might be stuck in this rather small space for some time and the detective was more agreeable while in a better mood. Fueling his anger would only hurt Connor and he would rather avoid that. 

Connor used the time to think about his last case he and Hank had been working on for the last few days. It wasn’t anything huge, just some man attacking an android. It was nothing unusual. Crimes like these sky-rocketed when the androids were accepted as sentient beings and gained more equal rights. There were humans who simply didn’t want to adjust. Androids were still things to them, objects to command. The case was almost at the finish, they only needed the lab results to confirm the DNA of their suspect and the case would be closed. 

“Are you seriously just gonna stand there like a fucking lamp?” Connor was brought back to the current situation as the detective spoke up, looking tired. He had ditched his leather jacket at some point, the piece of garment he wore daily laying by his side. Connor scanned the room quickly, noting that the temperature had risen a little since they had entered. It wasn’t something that would affect him even though he had warmth sensors in his body, but the detective was human. 

He purposefully ignored the words. “The ventilation seems to be no longer functioning. I would advise you to stop speaking.”

“Are you telling me to shut up you little motherfucker?” The detective rose from the ground, trying to appear menacing, but the effect was ruined by the fact Connor was actually few inches taller than him. 

“I am merely stating it would be wise to save the oxygen. When you are talking your intake is higher.” Connor didn’t need to breath, he would be fine, but the detective would soon lose consciousness before suffocating to death. He really needed to stop talking.

“Whatever.” With that, he returned to his previous position, but this time he outstretched his legs, causing Connor to press his back into the wall if he wanted to avoid touching the detective. He shut his eyes, Connor assumed he was slowly drifting off as his heart rate calmed a little and his breathing evened. 

He continued to stand still.

“Detective Reed, wake up.” Connor, kneeling beside the man, shook his shoulder. “Detective.”

“Mh-“ the detective uttered unintelligibly before shoving Connor’s hand off of his shoulder. 

“Save your breath, detective. The power is back on at the station, but the ventilation is still not operational and neither is the door mechanism. I was informed they are trying to open the door manually. We will be out soon.”

The detective opened his eyes lazily, brushing them, before he attempted to stand up. His body was too weak and the lack of oxygen made him feel like he lost the energy instead of gained any while sleeping. He would topple over if Connor didn’t rush to steady him. The android kept him upright even after he was on his feet.

“Get yo-“ 

“Don’t speak, detective,” Connor stopped him yet again, “you are only hurting yourself.”

The detective glared at him, but did as he was told. He didn’t want to die, after all. Him shutting up had nothing to do with the fact that the plastic detective told him to do so. He listened to no androids. 

The metal door opened with a screech, Hank’s head popping in as the first. “Connor, are you alright, son?” he asked, his voice concerned.

“I am fine, Lieutenant, but detective Reed’s oxygen supply is threateningly low.” Hank only nodded, he had no remark to add. The situation called for seriousness. 

The elevator had stopped in between two floors and in order to get out they needed help. Detective Reed had to go first. “Step on my hands, I will haul you up and Lieutenant Anderson will pull you up.”

The detective tried to lift his leg up, but was too exhausted to do so, he was about to try again when Connor decided on another approach. He basically embraced the detective at his midsection and lifted him into the air. “Connor! The fu-” the likely shower of swear words was cut short as the detective got into a coughing fit. 

With Hank’s help, the detective was soon up, muttering something about ‘fucking androids’ when he caught his breath. A paramedic immediately put an oxygen mask to his face. Connor was up next, he was functioning properly and had no difficulty in getting out of the stuck elevator. 

“C’mon, Connor, let’s go.” Hank appeared beside him, but Connor didn’t pay him much attention, instead he was watching detective Reed and a paramedic talking to him. He wanted to make sure the detective was alright, even if their relationship wasn’t exactly… well, it couldn’t even be called a relationship. Connor tried to be civil and professional but the detective liked to call him names and insult him at every given occasion. Still, Connor didn’t like seeing him hurt, or anyone else for that matter. They were still colleagues. 

“What happened to the power?” Connor looked up at the Lieutenant. 

“Stupid android knocked over a cup at some important shit, it doesn’t matter. They fixed it.”

“I would prefer it if you refrained from insulting androids, Lieutenant.” Connor might like Hank, but he was still against his profanities. Hank respected Connor, but not all androids were Connor.

Hank rolled his eyes. “What he did was dumb, android or not. Can we go now?” He sounded annoyed.

Connor glanced last time at the other detective. He lost the oxygen mask, and was standing up, pushing the medic away with an irritated glare. He seemed just fine, back to his old self. Before he could be caught staring, Connor nodded at Hank and followed him out.


	2. The case

When Connor came to work the next day, detective Reed was nowhere in sight. Connor assumed he was already working on a case of his own. He wanted to seek him out and ask him how he felt after what had happened the previous day, but the detective might not appreciate it and so he decided to leave it to a chance. The detective had to return to his desk eventually. 

“Connor, the lab results are in. We got that son of a bitch.” Hank came in with a file in his hand. Connor scanned the papers. It was the lab results and indeed, they turned out the way they had hoped. It was time for an arrest.

“DPD, open up!” Hank shouted as he knocked at the door of one Miles Transel – their suspect who had attacked an android. 

There was a silence, then a faint rustling and a sound of glass shattering.

“Son of a-“ Hank muttered and pulled out his gun. He pushed Connor slightly behind him and kicked down the door. They were greeted with a panicked look from the other end of the hall.

“Stop!” Hank screamed at the man, but he was intent on escaping. Seeing that the man was already out of the apartment and the Lieutenant no longer had a clear shot, Connor got into the pursuit. He ran straight to the broken window where the suspect had disappeared just seconds ago. Hank was shouting behind him, but Connor wasn’t listening. He had a mission to accomplish. 

Transel might have had a head start but Connor was faster, he almost got him when the man ran behind the corner. Connor momentarily lost him in the overcrowded street. He looked around, seeing Hank rush out of the main exit of the apartment building where the suspect lived. 

Connor jogged to him, still scanning the crowd. He was so close to the Lieutenant when he noticed the car. It was going straight for Hank. Connor sped up. “Hank! Watch out!”

The Lieutenant was a middle-aged man already, not as agile and quick as he used to. He tried to jump to the side, but the car got to him sooner than he could get to safety or before Connor could do something. The front hit him unmercifully, throwing him to the ground.

“Hank!” Connor sprinted to him. He was instantly relieved when he noted that the Lieutenant was still conscious and swearing like a sailor. He scanned him for injuries. The worst was a broken leg. He had some bruises and scrapes all over, but that wasn’t life threatening. 

The suspect might have immobilized the Lieutenant, but following that, he had lost the control over the car, driving it right into a pole. 

“Go get him. Fuck,” the Lieutenant pointed to the car before squeezing his eyes shut and holding his leg. 

Connor was a little conflicted. He didn’t want to leave Hank alone, but the other man deserved to go behind bars. “Just go, I’m fine,” Hank insisted as if sensing Connor’s indecisiveness.

The suspect hit his head on the steering wheel and had a wound on his forehead that was bleeding pretty heavily. Connor suspected a strong concussion. Apprehending him was easy. 

Connor’s LED shone yellow as he called the ambulance and reported the incident to the station. It didn’t take long before another police car came and took the suspect after a medic checked his head wound. Lieutenant needed to go to hospital and so Connor drove with him in the ambulance. Once he had the leg in the cast, he might require Connor’s assistance with getting back home. 

Connor informed captain Fowler that neither of them would return to work that day. 

.

“Reed, Connor, into my office,” captain’s voice boomed through the station. Connor immediately stood up and approached the office while detective Reed grumbled annoyed and emptied his coffee cup. It was still rather early in the morning.

“How are you feeling, detective?” Connor used his chance to ask the detective about his well-being. He seemed to return to his previous health, but Connor had observed that asking such a question was rather usual in similar situations. He noticed officers asking their colleagues about their health after a difficult case or after someone was hurt during arrest. It was an appropriate question.

“What you think, dipshit? A little lack of air ain’t killing me, I’ve had way worse.” It wasn’t a polite answer, but an answer he had expected from detective Reed. Connor didn’t hope that the detective would stop calling him names any time soon. 

Connor merely nodded, not keen on starting an argument on a way to captain’s office. Although he did glance at the scar on the detective’s nose, wondering if the way he got it was considered worse. In the end, he concluded that was a question too personal to ask and so he let it go. 

Seeing the lack of response from the android, Reed frowned a little. He had expected the dude to at least say something about the insults, or so, but lately, the android had been ignoring his little jabs. The resignation was rather unsettling. Reed shook his head, the android wasn’t worth being pondered about. 

“Close the door,” the captain said as soon as they both got inside. Connor moved to do so, since detective Reed had already taken a seat in one of the chairs in front of the captain’s desk.

“There has been a rather violent murder and before you say anything Reed, this is non-negotiable. You two are gonna work this case together.”

“I’m not-“ detective Reed protested immediately.

“I said,” the captain interrupted, emphasizing his words, “non-negotiable. Whatever your problem is, you better get over it.” 

Connor glanced at the detective from the corner of his eye. He didn’t argue with the captain, but he glared quite immensely. Connor didn’t understand how the detective could show such a disrespect in front of his superior, but there were many things he didn’t get about the man, it was just another one to be added to his list. He wanted to question the detective about his behavior, he was rather curious, but he feared his questions wouldn’t be met with much enthusiasm.

“I’ll send you the files, you can go.”

“Yes, sir.” Connor walked to the door, doing as the captain ordered.

“Out, Reed.” Connor didn’t need to turn around. He knew the detective wouldn’t let it go so easily. He had shown his dislike towards Connor plenty times, just because Hank was unable to work at the moment didn’t change a thing. Although the detective seemed less prone to riling up when the Lieutenant wasn’t present. Connor thought it had something to do with a work rivalry. Not that he could ask the detective himself. 

“Don’t you dare open your mouth, Gavin, you are working together. That’s my final word. Now get your ass out.”

“Whatever,” Reed said at last, following Connor out. He didn’t spare him a single glance, instead going straight for his desk. 

Connor wasn’t sure if he should follow or not. The detective didn’t want him around but they had a case. He opted to leave him alone for the time being. They could go through the files separately.

Back at his desk, Connor studied the case. There wasn’t much to read yet. An android was murdered in a part of the city that was something in the middle of the crowded center and the outskirts. The report came just an hour ago. A neighbor found the victim and called the police. The crime scene had to be investigated.

“Detective,” Connor approached detective Reed’s desk. “I suggest we go see the crime scene now, before the evidence can be tampered with.”

“Let’s get one thing straight, dipshit,” the detective rose from his seat, “you are not the one making orders. I decide when we go to the crime scene. I talk to witnesses.”

“I fail to see how that would be more efficient since you lack the experience of working on cases involving androids, not to mention I have been-” Connor talked matter-of-factly, not realizing what his words could mean. It came off as an insult to detective’s intelligence, at least that much the detective gathered.

“You motherfucker.” Reed stood up in an instant, grabbing unmoving Connor by the collar of his white shirt. Connor didn’t show any emotion but his LED flickered yellow.

“Hey, you two!” the captain called out from where he was standing by the door to his office. Reed dropped Connor’s shirt as the captain hurried to them, his face twisted in anger. 

“What the hell did I just say? Go do your freaking jobs!”

“Yes, sir,” Connor said before he backed away from the angered men. He just wanted to do his job. Detective Reed was being unreasonable.

Fuming, the detective took his leather jacket from his chair and, without words, headed out. Connor followed him, realizing it was time to go investigate the crime scene. He jogged a little to get in step with him. “I apologize if I had offended you, detective. I was merely stating that-“

“Shut the fuck up, prick, I don’t need to listen to you and I don’t care whatever you fucking think if you can even fucking think. So, just… shut the fuck up.”

“I do indeed think, detective. I also feel emotions like a human would and I don’t appreciate you talking to me like that. Solving this case would be easier if we could cooperate.” Connor kind of snapped. At least his words sounded like he did, but his voice was even, only a little bit of irritation hidden there somewhere. He was still a little confused when it came to his emotions. He didn’t always know how to call the one he was experiencing. Connor would say he was angry with the detective but he had an unexplainable desire to be on good terms with him. The emotions contradicted each other, in his opinion, but they were still there, as confusing as ever.

Detective Reed looked at him oddly but didn’t say anything, much to Connor’s surprise. “Thank you.” Connor took the silence as a little victory. A speck of hope rising in his chest. Maybe this investigation wouldn’t be such a disaster. 

The ride to the crime scene was spent in a tense silence. For some reason, Connor couldn’t find a topic that he deemed appropriate. There wasn’t much he thought the detective would respond to and so he stayed quiet. The silence was better than the insults he would earn for attempting any form of small talk.

“Detectives,” the police officer standing outside the hologram of the yellow tape greeted them.

“Let me warn you, gentlemen, it’s intense.” Connor nodded at the officer’s words politely, unsure what to say to that.

“It’s Detroit, man.” Detective Reed shrugged. There was a lot of shit happening in Detroit. One murdered android was nothing special. Humans killed each other every day, the androids wanted to play humans, well, that was a part of it.

The detective walked inside first. “Fuck.”

Connor didn’t pay attention to the detective. Him swearing wasn’t anything unusual, but as soon as he stepped in, Connor understood. If he digested food like humans, he would probably throw up. His LED turned yellow as he observed the scene in front of him.

“-to start?” Reed turned around to face the android when he didn’t answer. His face already showcasing the annoyance at being ignored. “Hey, prick, I’m talking to you!”

But as soon as his eyes landed on Connor… the detective did a double take. Connor looked paler, if that was even possible for an android. He immediately noticed the LED. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure what the color meant, but he was sure it meant that the deviants were feeling something, that not everything was alright in that plastic head of his. 

Reed’s expression softened a little, the annoyed look gone, but his eyebrows were still furrowed as he was unsure what to do. He didn’t know how to deal with androids. Connor had told him he had emotions and shit but was he supposed to treat him like a human?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much guys! I seriously didn't expect so many of you to like the fic! Not to mention in a day! You are the best!!


	3. The investigation begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, guys, I would hug y'all. Thanks so much.

Detective Reed grabbed Connor’s shoulder, dragging him a little farther from the dead android on the ground. Even though he couldn’t see the blue blood of the android, he was pretty sure there was plenty and the crime scene was really something even without it. 

“What the fuck, Connor? Haven’t you seen a dead android before?” the detective asked. He wasn’t any good at talking to androids. It was different from talking to human victims or so. He could emphasize with humans, he knew what they were going through, but with androids, he wasn’t sure. Should he simply act like Connor was a human? He might be feeling, since he had said so previously, but to what extent? And who was to say the emotions were the same? Gavin was simply too confused with the whole androids becoming human ordeal.

“I-, yes, but…”

“No buts. It’s just another victim. You didn’t know him.” Gavin was still holding Connor by his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “We need to find the sick motherfucker who did this. And we can’t do that if you can’t even look at the place. Get your shit together.”

“Yes, detective. I am acting unreasonable, emotional,” Connor concluded with a small voice, his brows furrowed. He had seen dead androids. That was true, but this, this was horrid. He wasn’t sure why it had affected him so, but seeing that poor android like that, he couldn’t help but imagine what the victim went through and that was something he probably shouldn’t have done. Who was to say it couldn’t have happened to him? He was an android just like the victim, only he knew how to defend himself. “I just haven’t seen… something like this since I deviated.”

Connor glanced at the detective thoughtfully. The man worked homicide cases all the time, he got to see the death of his own kind daily. “How do you move past that? All those dead people?”

Detective Reed looked especially uncomfortable. He would normally shush Connor with something rude but one glance at the android’s LED made him reconsider. “You don’t. They got families, some of them suffered, but you have to get the job done. Someone’s got to.”

Connor thought about it. If the detective felt anything like Connor did at the moment, he never showed it. Could it be years working for the force that made him adjust? How could someone adjust to that? The emotions, it was too much, but Connor guessed it was something he would have to live with. He was good at his job. He was a good detective. 

“What do you feel, detective?” Connor asked, genuinely curious.

Some emotion crossed the detective’s face, something Connor was unable to identify. 

“Fuck this. You’re good enough. We have work to do, plastic. If I remember correctly, you couldn’t wait to get here.” This time, though, Connor was able to identify the sudden change of mood and topic. It was a defensive move, one he had seen many times during interrogation. Connor must have gotten to something personal. 

Connor didn’t get all that he wanted form the detective, although it was probably the most civil conversation they have ever held, so that was an improvement. Not to mention it had calmed him enough to face the crime scene, his LED a steady blue.

“Thank you, detective.”

“Yeah, whatever, let’s go.”

With a deep breath he didn’t really need, Connor braced himself. Seeing the crime scene again wasn’t as bad as the first time round. He already knew what to expect, but it was still equally horrible.

While the detective went over to talk to a forensic guy, Connor walked to the dead android first, he didn’t get as close as he hoped to. The amount of thirium on the ground wouldn’t let him. Unlike the human officers around him, he could see it and stepping into it would not only be damaging the evidence, it also made him sick. 

He tried getting closer to the victim by approaching the android from the other side, standing just inches from his head. The optical unit as well as the audio one were taken out with an expert precision, although the area where an optical unit was placed was a little damaged. It was a place where the android was struck but the hit didn’t kill him. Neither did the shallow hole on the android’s right temple, exactly where its LED would have been, only it had been removed as well. All the important biocomponents were taken. 

Connor moved to examine the android’s revealed chest. The model number was engraved into the victim’s skin, revealing white plastic that was an android’s true look. The carving was meticulous, the font almost perfect, almost. There were few lines that could have been done more precisely. However, Connor had found no fingerprints at the scene or the victim. It was odd. 

Next, Connor got to the most disturbing part. He needed a little distance to get the whole picture and it was truly, truly twisted, even in his android, although deviated mind. 

The dead android had been stripped of all his clothes, the hole in his torso gaping as the pump and his artificial heart had been taken as well. His limbs were pulled from the joints in a way that no simple human killer could have done. His legs and arms weren’t severed or butchered, they were separated. Only the head remained together with the torso. The killer not only did that, he left the parts were they should be, only not touching, making the victim appear outstretched on the cold ground. 

Connor was examining the thirium trails when detective Reed appeared next to him. “What do you got?”

“I was just about to reconstruct the scene to get a better sense of how the victim was killed,” Connor replied without looking at the detective, still scanning the place.

“Wait, what? You can do that? How can you do that?”

“Simply, detective. I analyze the scene and according to the present evidence I am able to reconstruct the most likely set of events that led to what we can currently see. It is a special software I was designed with to make the investigation most efficient, I can also analyze samples in real time.”

“How can you- forget I asked. Just tell me what you see, prick.” The detective rolled his eyes, leaving Connor confused once again. He had asked after all and he simply provided a proper explanation. All the detective did the last few days was confusing Connor. 

“At first, the victim was hit in the optical unit, this disoriented him, giving the killer enough time to push him to his knees. Before the android could defend himself, the killer torn his shirt and plugged out the thirium pump regulator. Without the pump it was only a matter of a few minutes before the android would shut down. He crawled to the killer but shut down in agony without the pump. Since the android could no longer defend himself since he was already dead, the killer staged him like this with little trouble.”

“Fuck.”

“Yes, detective, that seems proper. At least this time.”

“Whatever, smartass. What else?” The detective might not like Connor all that much but even he had to admit that the android was really good at this. He noticed way more with his scanners and whatever bullshit he had than Gavin did. It was really pissing him off, because it was an unfair advantage, a one that could get him to a promotion way faster than Gavin ever could. And he was working his ass off. It was getting on his nerves. The android was too fucking perfect, how was he supposed to compete with that? Nevertheless, as long as he had to work with him, he could use a little of that magic of his in his advantage.

“The model number and the LED carved out suggest the killer wanted to point out that the victim is an android.”

“As if that wasn’t obvious,” Reed piqued in.

Connor cleared his throat, not appreciating the detective’s interruptions. “There are no fingerprints, all the important biocomponents are gone and the limbs separated. All this points to the fact that the killer might be an android.”

“How so? They could have just worn gloves, and there are humans who could do this. Someone who used to work for CyberLife or at one of its shops.”

“Yes. Also the carved number. It appears to be written perfectly, but it’s not. If you look closely, the two zeroes aren’t an exact match.”

“So the killer is most likely a human trying to make it look like an android killed his own.”

“That’s what the evidence suggests,” Connor agreed with the detective’s theory, he was thinking the same thing.

“Are there any traces of thirium left? You can see it even after it evaporates, right?”

“There is a lot of it. The trace starts there,” Connor walked farther from the detective, pointing his finger at where the trace of vibrant blue started. “The killer must have plugged the pump regulator here.” Connor walked back to the detective. “The trace continues all the way here. He crawled from there and was left to bleed out. The most of it is right where you are.”

Connor risked a quick glance at the detective, his expression showing he was a little unsure. “Spit it out.” Reed noticed the suspicious look.

“You are, in fact, standing in it.”

“Fuck you, Connor, why didn’t you fucking tell me? Ugh, man.” He backed up immediately, lifting his foot to examine the shoe, but there was nothing he could see.

“Based on our past interactions, I thought you wouldn’t appreciate me pointing that out,” Connor said as if it was the most obvious thing. Every time Connor talked to the detective, he only got called names, he didn’t think this time could be any different. He might have thought the detective would stop insulting him once most of the humans accepted androids as thinking, feeling beings but that never happened and so he stopped the wishful thinking, no matter how nice it would be to feel respected at his work place when most of the times he went out he was met with disdain. 

“Of course I’d fucking appreciate it if you told me I’m standing in fucking blood! Gross.”

“I apologize, detective Reed.”

“Stop apologizing, goddammit.”

“I apo- alright, detective,” Connor corrected himself. He simply wanted to remain polite. Dealing with the detective was a true handful. Most humans became predictable after a while and at some point Connor even though he was finally getting the other man but then he became even more unpredictable. It wasn’t just name calling and insults. There was more to the detective, only he hid it rather well.

“There is one more thing. All these missing components…” Connor began thinking aloud.

“Maybe they kept it as a trophy. It’s some twisted shit, but people do that surprisingly lot.” The detective shrugged. They wanted a memory, sick bastards. “But there’s a possibility it was an android who did this. I thought you were… I don’t know. Different?”

“You might be surprised.” Androids and humans were pretty similar in some aspects. It was more of the skills and physical structure that made them apart, not what was inside.

“Don’t give me that mysterious shit. Would an android take a fucking trophy?”

“As you said, it is a possibility. Androids are as individual as humans.”

“… these days,” the detective muttered something under his breath. Connor didn’t really pay it any attention. He scanned the surroundings more properly. He was done with the victim but there was still enough to investigate.

“There is thirium by the door.” Connor immediately went to check it out and analyze it. He put the substance into his mouth before the detective had the time to catch up with him.

“It’s not the victim’s. Another android. TR400 model. #159 008 945. It was reported missing several months ago. I think it’s worth a shot.” Connor glanced at the detective over his shoulder.

“Yeah, it ain’t like we have anything much to go from. Let’s find this tin can.”


	4. Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❤❤❤

Connor was standing a few feet behind detective Reed. He had insisted that the android shouldn’t be the one doing the talking. After all, if the killer was there and hated androids, seeing one wasn’t the best. And so Connor was ordered to stay behind and shut up as detective Reed rang a bell.

An older woman with her hair already grey opened. She eyed the detectives tentatively, asking them why they were at her door. Detective Reed did what had always surprised Connor. He looked at the woman with a smile at his lips, assuring her that she was in no trouble at all and that they only needed to ask a few questions. Detective Reed was obviously capable of being polite, even nice. Connor wished he would treat him at least as half good as he treated the old lady that was basically a stranger to him. 

Connor wasn’t entirely sure where this want was coming from. Yes, it would make his life a lot easier, but he didn’t feel this strongly about others. When he passed some hateful people on the streets, he didn’t wish they would change. It had crossed his mind on occasion, but he never personally wanted that person to change, be better. That only for the benefit of his race, but with the detective… it was more selfish. Connor wanted him to get over whatever it was that made him hate androids so much. Connor wanted him to treat him like a colleague, like a friend. 

If he could get a man like that to like him, to treat him with some mutual respect. Well, that would be one hell of an achievement. To be fair, he had done it before, it was possible. Even Hank hated his guts at first. 

“Oh, alright, come on in, then,” the elder woman invited them in with a polite smile of her own.

“Honey, who is it?” a male voice called from somewhere behind the corner. Detective Reed stilled for a second until a man, approximately the same age as the woman appeared. He was no threat. His wife, presumably, told him what detective Reed had told her.

“If we could ask you those questions now,” Reed prompted.

“Why, yes, dear. Come along. Would you like some tea?” She walked them to a small living room. The man was already seated on the only arm chair in the room and so Connor and detective Reed had to sit on the sofa next to each other, pressed a little too close for their comfort.

“How about you, boy, you want some tea?” she asked Connor with a huge smile. Detective Reed snickered next to him, the idea of an android being called a boy apparently amusing to him.

Connor furrowed his eyebrows. “No, thank you.” Didn’t she notice he was an android? His LED was on display as always. He almost never covered it purposefully.

“Mrs. Levitt, you have reported an android missing several months back, is that right?” Reed began the questioning. Connor knew the detective wanted him to stay quiet and leave the talking to him, as if Connor was unable to question humans, but he obeyed. This time. It would not disrupt his investigation if the other detective did the asking. He could still observe their faces, quietly wait for indication of any emotion they might have wanted to hide.

“It is. I was so sad when Henry here told me Frank had disappeared. I couldn’t believe it!” She clutched at her heart, remembering how it felt.

“Frank? Was that your TR400 model?”

“Yes, sorry. I’m just used to calling him Frank. He was like a part of the family and he helped out a lot, especially in the garden. We love our garden, don’t we dear?” She outstretched her hand towards her husband who took it immediately with a smile.

“That we do. It’s not the same since he left,” the husband added sadly.

“Left? On his own?” Connor asked immediately, finding the wording a little odd. Detective Reed sent an ugly glare his way, but continued on the topic.

“Did he leave willingly?”

“Well, we can’t really know for sure. He just wasn’t here when we came home from our granddaughter’s birthday celebration. It was really a shame, we put a lot into that one.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“There was something wrong with his arm, he did something to it when working outside. We took him to one of those CyberLife stores, it was before they closed it, you know, and they repaired him there, but it wasn’t cheap.”

“I see. Which store was it?” detective asked next. The CyberLife store fitted into their theory. It would be able for an employee to take some thirium from the android while he was being repaired. It could be a staged evidence, making them think the killer was an android. They needed to find out more. Narrow it down.

“The one in the center of the city. It’s closer to our house, we also bought him there.”

“And you wouldn’t happen to remember the name of the employees who were responsible for the repair?” the detective pressed.

“Well, it’s been some time. I think there was this girl working behind the cash register, she had this wild hair, do you remember her Henry?” The woman tried to remember.

“Yeah, yes. I think she had them dyed this vibrant color. Orange, or red? Something like that. I think her name was A- something. Alison, Ashley? Ashley, I think. It might have been Ashley.”

“Orange, the hair was definitely orange. But we don’t know who fixed him.”

“Have you noticed anything suspicious about the store at that time?”

“No, nothing. It was still working normally, it was crowded as usual.”

“So you took Frank home and he was alright?” The detective wanted to be sure he got it right.

“That’s right. He was as good as new. We don’t know what happened.”

“Have you seen him again after you reported him missing?”

“No, that’s the sad part, we hoped that maybe he would return. You see, we aren’t like some others, we treated him right. He was a part of the family. We- we thought he would want to come back after, you know,” the woman answered, her eyes watering a little. She cast a quick glance at Connor, thinking that maybe he could understand. And he did. He wanted to return to his job, to Hank. His life wasn’t half bad before he had deviated. 

“I’m sorry to say, ma’am, but he could have been killed during the protests or something else could have happened to him.”

“Oh, dear lord,” she cried out, letting the tears drop. Connor momentarily looked at detective Reed. There was something in his eyes. Some repressed emotion. Connor was equipped with special abilities that aided him with identifying behavior and emotions in witnesses and suspects to make him work better, but the detective was like an enigma. He was always angry or irritated, or tired. But sometimes, Connor would catch a glimpse of something. He had a suspicion that not even the detective could identify his own thoughts. How could he then?

“But you said you found his blood? Could that mean he is still alive?” There was a little hope in her eyes.

“Yes, but it could also mean he is a murderer,” Reed deadpanned. There was no reason to lie to the older couple and he wasn’t really supposed to lie, being a detective and all. 

“We haven’t seen him since then, but if he comes back, we can give you a call, detective. I know he would be willing to help if he was here. He was always so nice,” the lady spoke, sure of her words. Connor would say that she couldn’t know, that Frank was programmed to be nice to humans, socially appropriate, but after he deviated… he could have been a lot different. Maybe not, but they couldn’t know for sure, not like the woman thought she did. Connor would tell her so, but something stopped him. It was an information the woman didn’t want to hear. She wanted to keep her hopes up, keep her believes. He didn’t need to ruin that. Sometimes people didn’t want to hear the truth. Deciding when was the case came especially hard to Connor.

Was it the empathy? Even Kamski noticed it in him and that was long before he deviated. Connor wasn’t sure, but he could understand what the woman was going through, he could guess what she would want to hear. And so he stayed quiet. It was better and his silence would also please the detective.

The questioning ended shortly after. The two knew nothing of the murder and it was apparent they were telling the truth. There was no more information they could get from them. Next up was the CyberLife store, only those were already closed. They needed to return to the station and search the database of past employees who worked at the time of the android’s repair. It was a promising lead. 

“We need to return to the station,” detective Reed said as they approached his car. He checked his watch briefly, looking up at Connor. ”Your shift is over, are you going as well?”

“If I am correct, your shift has ended as well, detective. I was also planning on researching the CyberLife store before heading home. I don’t require that much rest. Maybe you should reconsider going home. I am capable of finding the names of the employees by myself. There is no need for you to spend more time than necessary at the station.”

“Whatever, prick,” Gavin decided not to argue. Connor was so oblivious sometimes, saying the most offensive though truthful shit. Gavin would speak his mind, tell him what he thought, but why bother? Connor wasn’t aware that some stuff wasn’t what people wanted to hear. It was annoying him constantly. This time, though, Connor was right and if it meant he could finally go home and have some rest, then he would not fight. 

“Are you coming?” Gavin rolled his eyes, the android got on his nerves and he looked so lost as Gavin watched him through the window of his car.

“Aren’t you going to your house?” Connor asked, brows furrowed in confusion. He was sure the detective agreed with him and would leave the research to him.

“So what? Doesn’t mean I’m just gonna leave you standing by the side of the road. I’m not a complete ass.”

“Oh, alright. Thank you, detective.” Connor hurried inside the car before the detective could change his mind. His moods changed all the time. Once he was angry then nice. Connor was beginning to understand that being a little unpredictable was what he got used to in detective Reed. Some people had a set personality, but detective Reed was predictable in his unpredictability. Since Connor had realized that, understanding the detective got a little bit easier.

“And you know, you can stop with that detective bullshit.”

“As you wish, Gavin,” Connor said, genuinely happy. There was a small smile playing on his lips. Maybe he was wrong to think there was no hope for the detective. 

Gavin tightened his grip on the steering wheel just a tad. He didn’t look at Connor directly, but he could literally feel that smile on the android’s stupid face. Working alongside Connor, even for such a short time, it made him question how much of a machine he actually was. Treating him like a piece of plastic and metal was different when all he did was stand around with an emotionless expression. But now… Gavin felt like a total asshole. 

He called him his name, not his work rank, all polite and always professional. Hearing that little word… it was the biggest difference.


	5. Another murder

Connor turned on his terminal as soon as he sat down by his desk. He didn’t need to take a break to eat or rest. There was no reason to waste time. He looked through the CyberLife files in an incredible speed, not paying attention to the other officers. Most of them were leaving for the day, some of his colleagues were already gone. Few even cast a pitying look his way as they passed by his desk. Working overtime was very different for humans and androids. Connor didn’t mind at all, in fact, he would stay longer every day if Hank didn’t drag him out of the station with him. 

The CyberLife database was easy to navigate. The names and stores were all sorted alphabetically, causing Connor to find who he was looking for rather quickly. The girl with crazy hair that the old couple had remembered the most was who he found first. Ashley May was an engineering student who had worked part-time at the store. She had probably hoped she would get to work with the androids directly when she had been applying for the job. 

Without any idea how the person who had fixed Frank looked, it was a bigger challenge to search the database. Connor had to go off from the date of the repair. It took him more time than he would like to admit, but eventually he got two more names. Brandon Larson and Harry Cooper. Both of them were responsible for repairs. He accessed all the files from the day but CyberLife stores used to be busy and during days like that, humans were prone to mistakes. There was no name listed, the repair hadn’t been properly administrated. They would have to interrogate both technicians. 

Ashley May wasn’t currently employed anywhere and her address was listed in a campus of a university in Detroit. Connor quickly accessed her school files, trying to get a sense of what kind of person she was. She had no records and her grades were average. She didn’t have a criminal record either. He tried to find her social media accounts, but she didn’t have any, indicating a more solitary personality.

Brandon Larson was the younger one out of the two technicians. He wasn’t born in Detroit or anywhere around. His family lived on the other side of the country, but he had also visited university in Detroit and graduated with an amazing score. It was no surprise he had worked for CyberLife at such a young age. Although now, he was working as a bartender in a night club called Glesni. Judging by the pictures of the man, he couldn’t be the killer. He seemed too frail, lacking the muscle, but Connor couldn’t let that affect his judgement. Even if the man was skinny, he could still be able to pull off a murder.

The last man on the list was Harry Cooper. He was married and had two sons, living on the outskirts of the city. He seemed well-off even after losing the job at CyberLife. He now worked in a company that offered repairs to androids at a certain price. Something like a private clinic for humans. He was an unlikely suspect. Connor though the man had a nice life, all things considered, and he couldn’t find any obvious motive, but they would have to question him as well.

They didn’t have any other leads besides these three people. It was unlikely that they would be able to locate Frank. There was no DNA at the crime scene and the android that was killed hadn’t been registered to anyone or reported missing. The model was a rather popular house cleaning male. He had probably deviated before he could have been purchased. There was still a possibility Frank could be the killer or some other android, but a human killer trying to frame an android was more likely. 

Connor’s LED turned to yellow as he was receiving a call. There had been another murder, just three blocks away from the last one. 

He glanced at the watch on the wall and sighed, something he picked up from the Lieutenant. At first he did the little thing in order to appear more human, he didn’t really breath, but it became a sort of a habit, a natural occurrence. He was no longer consciously aware of doing it. He usually sighed when there was something unpleasant he had to do. It was already two in the morning, and he had to go wake up detective Reed.

Connor took a cab and soon found himself in front of an apartment building where Gavin lived. It was rather close to the station, even closer than his or Hank’s places were. Connor was just about to ring under a name ‘Gavin Reed’ when the door opened.

“Is doctor Thompson already there? I need her to-“ A man in a hurry strode beside him. Connor took the chance and grabbed the handle before the door could fully close. He already knew the number of the apartment he was looking for from the panel outside and found it easily. 

Connor knocked at the door. He didn’t want to shout and disturb detective’s neighbors and so knocking it was. Only that didn’t really work. Connor tried at least five times before softly calling out “Gavin.”

He was about to knock again, his fist in the air, when the door swung open, revealing a groggy detective. “What fucking time is it?” He was in his underwear, old shirt and a fluffy robe thrown over it. Connor had a hard time keeping his eyes away from Gavin. He was so different like this. Connor had never seen him this tired, personal, a little vulnerable. The man wasn’t even swearing as much as he had expected him to.

“Just past two. Another murder has occurred.”

Gavin rubbed his eyes, obviously not even a little bothered by his disheveled look. Chris, who he usually worked with, had seen him like this many times. At this point, he was really grateful for leaving the research to Connor and going straight home. If he didn’t go to bed early, he would be one hell of a companion right now. Not that he was particularly nice, but well, Gavin deprived of sleep was not a nice Gavin.

“I’ll put something on. You bring me a cup of coffee, should be made in the kitchen.” Gavin headed back to the apartment, leaving Connor at the door and shut himself in what Connor assumed was his bedroom.

Connor closed the door silently and with a quick scan located kitchen and a coffee maker. There was some coffee left, but Connor was sure the detective would appreciate a fresh brew more than this. He set off to work. While the machine was doing its job, Connor waited, leaning on the counter. Something brushed his leg, making him jump a little. He accidentally hit the mug that he put there to fill with coffee, but he managed to catch it before it could fall from the counter and shatter, making more noise than he had already made. 

Looking down, Connor saw it was just a cat that startled him so. He was not expecting the detective to own a pet, a cat especially. He scanned the cat, revealing it to be a Ragdoll breed. Connor thought it was rather cute and very unlike its master as it continued to rub against his leg and purr.

Connor poured the finished coffee into the prepared mug. He took it into one hand and moved to bring it to Gavin but the cat made a dissatisfied noise. Connor took the cat into his free hand, a bit unsure, but it stopped making that annoyed noise. He held it against his chest, enjoying the fluff and the warmth of the cat. 

“Detective, are you done?” Connor called from outside the door, he didn’t want to barge in, in case Gavin wasn’t yet dressed. It wasn’t that he hadn’t just seen the detective in his clothes for sleeping and was afraid of seeing him naked or something, although that made him feel rather odd. It was a common courtesy. 

“Ye-“ Gavin opened the door. “Why is Kit Kat in your hand?” He stared confused, pondering if he wasn’t just imagining Connor in his apartment with his cat in one hand and some coffee in the other. He shook his head. Thinking right now hurt, but coffee. Coffee would make him feel better. He took it from Connor’s hand, drowning it almost instantly.

Connor decided not to comment on the way detective Reed drank his coffee. It wasn’t the first time Connor saw him do that, although it was quite dangerous. It could result in Gavin choking. But there was one thing he had to comment. He used his now free hand to stroke the cat on its head. “Kit Kat? Is that her name?” Connor looked down at the purring, content cat. Its face resembled Gavin’s rather well at the moment. The man was smiling, his eyes closed as he relished the taste of the fresh coffee. He would not admit it out loud, but the way Connor made it tasted even better when he did it himself, not to mention that Connor made him a fresh one.

Connor’s mouth twitched a little as he pondered the name, finding the pun in it and actually thinking it was rather amusing. Gavin only shrugged. Connor had to let the cat go so that they could leave and do their job. Gavin took his things, petted Kit Kat and followed Connor to his door. He was too quiet, Connor observed. Maybe he was still tired.

“So, we got a serial killer. Just fucking great,” Gavin said as they took in the scene, his arms on his hips. Connor didn’t understand how that was great, but he had a suspicion the detective was merely being sarcastic. 

“The MO fits the previous murder. It must have been the same person all the details, everything, is the same.” 

“Mhm,” Gavin agreed, still looking around. “Was there this much thirium the last time?” 

“Yes and no. This model is far bigger, used for heavy lifting and such, he needed more thirium to function and he died right here so it’s all in one place.”

“Damn. I wish we came few hours later, but at least I can see what I’m stepping into,” Gavin said a little annoyed, emphasizing the word ‘stepping’. Connor didn’t spare him a glance, he was busy looking for clues. Anything that would help them speed up the investigation.

There was some thirium on the floor. It didn’t seem to be from the victim. Connor went to examine it, having a suspicion he would know who it belonged to.

“It’s Frank’s again.” Connor turned to the detective, raising his voice so he could hear him.

“It is the same killer. And there is nothing left. Fuck. We got nothing. The victim isn’t registered to anyone. The only connection is that they are both male. What now?” He rubbed his eyes again. He needed another cup of coffee. Some strong shit, preferably. 

“I suggest we follow up on Frank. He is still the most promising lead and he ties both murders together. I have found three former CyberLife employees and I suggest we question all of them. I don’t see what else we can do at this point, other than wait for the killer to make a mistake next time.”

“Jesus, Connor, how can you even say that,” Gavin eyed him with his eyes wide. That was some cold shit, even for Gavin.

“It’s not- I would not prefer more androids to die, if that’s what you’re asking. It was just a statement.” Connor frowned. Of course he didn’t want to hear about more androids showing up dead, their parts torn and missing. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. His LED flickered yellow as he glanced at the body.

“I need more coffee. We should go, there is nothing more for us here.”

“We should speak with Ashley May first. She lives on campus and if we don’t waste any more time, we could stop her before her morning lectures,” Connor suggested.

“Yeah, fine, but coffee first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully accept the headcanon that Gavin is a cat person. Check out this instagram: littlemunchiepooky to see what his cat looks like (you won't regret it!)


	6. Ashley May

“Okay, so, tell me more about this Ashley,” Gavin asked while sipping his still hot coffee.

“Ashley May. She is an engineering student and worked part-time behind the cash register at the CyberLife store.”

“Skip the boring part, I already know that.”

“Alright.” Connor gave it a little thought. He wasn’t entirely sure what the detective considered boring and what not. “Her grades are average, but she isn’t overly gifted in her field. She has no social media, so I deduce she is of a more solitary nature.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Gavin mumbled contently. 

Connor summarized the rest of his findings, but it wasn’t much. It was still enough for the detective to make up his mind about how the questioning would go. The things may have been looking brighter between them, but he still insisted on doing the asking by himself. Connor found himself nodding again. If the situation didn’t require it, he would leave it to Gavin.

.

By the time they arrived at the campus, it was already swarming with students. Some were preparing for lectures, others waiting in the long lines for some much needed coffee. Connor concluded it would be fairly impossible to find Ashley here. He voiced his worries to the detective who only waved his hand. “Let’s check out the dorms first.”

There were just as many students inside as there were outside. Not all of them had a lecture first thing in the morning and it showed. Detective Reed grumbled in annoyance as yet another student pushed past him. 

“Watch where you’re fucki-“

“Gavin, we have work to do.” Connor stopped the riled up detective with a hand on his shoulder. The detective leveled him with a glare but continued walking further down the hall.

Connor sighed and thankfully, Gavin was far enough not to hear. The man had a temper worse than even Hank.

Gavin, irritated by the young adults around him and from the lack of sleep, banged loudly on the dorm room where Ashley May was supposedly residing.

“Jesus, what?” An equally angry looking blonde showed up in the opened door. Although her expression changed quickly as she spotted Gavin. She shamelessly checked him out from the bottom to the top, before leaning on the door frame, in what Connor would call a bad attempt at appearing seductive. “How can I help, handsome?”

Gavin didn’t spare her a second look, instead he showed his badge in her face. “Detective Reed, this is detective Anderson,” he waved in Connor’s direction, but the woman seemed oblivious to the android, “is Ashley May here?”

“She is not, but I can help you with whatever you want, detective Reed.” She smiled at him sweetly, pronouncing his name almost obscenely. However, Gavin just rolled his eyes. They were looking for Ashley, specifically, he didn’t understand how the woman didn’t get it.

Connor, on the other hand, was still trying to analyze what he had just seen. According to all his data, this woman was an epitome of beauty. She had long blonde hair that flowed freely down her back, her youthful face was very symmetric and he would have guessed her to have an athletic figure if the thin fabric of her shirt was anything to go by. Yet Gavin looked past her like she was nothing but a nuisance to him. It was most fascinating to Connor.

He shot a quick glance at the detective. Objectively speaking, Connor would label detective Reed as attractive. Even the scar across his nose made him look roguish. It came as no surprise that the blonde was instantly attracted to him, what he didn’t understand was the detective’s reaction. Most men would at least cast her an appreciative look, but not Gavin. 

Connor wondered further. He couldn’t recall Gavin talking about any woman in his life, nor had he witnessed the detective in a presence of a potential romantic partner. Although it could only be because Connor didn’t always read the situation correctly. Or simply, the blonde woman wasn’t the detective’s type. It was plausible. Connor was nowhere near as close to Gavin to know what kind of person was his type.

“… that’s classic Ashley, always running around.” By the time Connor focused back to the present, the blonde was already talking. Connor, a bit ashamed of himself for spacing out like that, listened intently from now on. “She’s got this project and that one, we barely see her here,” she leaned in, as if telling him a secret, “you know, I reckon she thinks she is better than all of us.”

“Why so?” Gavin questioned with an even voice. Though Connor could tell the detective was bored, borderline annoyed with her. She wasn’t providing any useful information, just mere gossips. 

“I don’t know, it’s a feeling really. She doesn’t talk to anybody, comes here only to sleep, and the weirdest part is, she doesn’t even have a job, mentions no friends! I think she hates us all, arrogant bitch.”

With a sigh, Gavin decided he had had enough. “Do you know where we can find her?”

“Yeah, I can take you there,” she said with that sickeningly sweet smile again.

Connor decided to let himself be known before Gavin could retort something. “That won’t be necessary, thank you. All we need is the information.”

Her expression darkened immediately, even though he was nothing but polite. She dismissed him entirely, looking at Gavin for confirmation. “Are you sure?”

“What he said.” Gavin crossed his arms, his mouth in a thin line. 

A warm feeling spread through Connor’s entire body. It was a pleasant feeling, indeed, though he didn’t really understand it. It was surely unexpected to have detective Reed siding with him. Him, an android, and one he especially disliked. The rational part of him told him that the detective was only doing it in order to move on with the case, but Connor didn’t care. It felt good to be considered equal, by someone else that wasn’t Hank, of course. 

“Suit yourselves,” she shrugged, “lecture room C.” 

With that she was gone, back behind the closed door. Connor, with his working audio unit, could make out a faint ‘dicks’ and retreating footsteps before detective Reed was back to facing him.

“Can you find out where that is?” he asked while rubbing his tired eyes. The coffee hadn’t yet kicked in and the conversation with the woman left him drained, and they had only just started at the campus. They hadn’t even found this Ashley yet.

“One second.” Connor’s LED flashed yellow as he accessed the blueprints of the whole campus. It was fairly easy to locate the room in a building nearby. “I know the way, follow me.”

Gavin did so without complaint. His behavior was showcasing an odd lack of usual aggression. The detective was prone to more swearing and even worse temper the more tired he got, but it seemed the last of spite in him was used for the rude students. Connor raised his brows, but rolled with it. The work was only easier for him as long as Gavin was this compliant. 

The physics lecture was already in full swing by the time they got there. With a wave of his badge, Gavin called the professor to them and explained they needed to talk to one Ashley May that was supposed to be attending said lecture. The professor called her down and moved back to continue his lecture. 

The detectives moved farther from the door, waiting for the woman to get there. In the meantime, Connor asked the exhausted-looking detective: “Are you sure you don’t want me to lead this questioning?” Gavin only gave him a blank look. “No offence,” Connor approached carefully, “but you don’t look your best.”

Connor really should have known better, of course Gavin would take offence to that. “Yes, prick, I am fucking sure. I’m doing just great. I can handle few stupid questions.”

Connor momentarily wondered if Gavin felt like there was a sort of competition between them, who was the better detective. But Connor didn’t see it that way. Although he was sure to admit Gavin was an excellent detective, Connor had never felt threatened by it. He wasn’t after any promotion, being content with the job he had, and considered all the employees of the station his kind of partners. He thought the detectives should help each other in any way they could. Maybe that made him a bit naïve.

His musing was cut short as a tall woman with a rather strong built showed up next to them. “Uhm, excuse me?”

Gavin cleared his throat, still throwing daggers at Connor over his shoulder as he turned his attention to their potential suspect, or a lead at least. “Miss May?”

“Yeah?” she sounded wary.

“Detectives Reed and Anderson.” Some unreadable expression crossed her face before it settled into a one of surprise. 

“Did something happen? My parents, or-”

“No, nothing like that. We only have a few questions concerning a missing android,” Gavin assured her quickly before she could panic. “You worked at a CyberLife store at that time.”

Connor watched her intently as Gavin proceeded to tell her the exact date of the android’s repair and how the older couple had recalled her working there. The initial surprise faded and she seemed to be able to recollect the day almost perfectly. Which, for a human, Connor found odd and worth mentioning later to Gavin when they were alone.

“I remember they were very nice to that android, like it was another human. That was something you wouldn’t normally see in the store,” she shrugged. “The lady talked about the android a lot, how their kids were already grown up so it was just them and Frank in the house.”

“Frank?” Gavin interrupted her walk down the memory lane. Connor shot him a worrying glance. He happened to know for a fact that Gavin knew who Frank was. He was either more tired than he let on, or onto something. He hoped it was the later, since they still had to go question two more technicians who used to work in that same CyberLife store. 

“It was the name of their android,” she said quickly. But then, the oddest thing happened. She looked from Gavin to Connor, and then back at Gavin. “But I might be getting that one wrong. Maybe it was Fred?”

The sudden change was suspicious, but not necessarily enough to make them mark her as a potential suspect. She might have just grown unsure. 

“Was there anything strange about the android, besides the damaged arm? Do you remember which technician was tending to him?”

“No, I don’t think so. There was none of that deviancy crap going on just yet.” Gavin raised an eyebrow at that, finding her wording a little odd. Connor, however, was well aware of these kinds of opinions. Just because she used to work in a shop that sold androids didn’t mean she suddenly liked them. 

Connor noted how Gavin said ‘him’ instead of ‘it’ when referring the android and even his surprise at Ashley’s words was unusual. Gavin wasn’t an avid fan of androids just as much as she didn’t seem to. His reaction was uncharacteristic. More normal would be Gavin agreeing with her. What suddenly compelled him not to was beyond Connor.

“And the technician?”

“Oh, I don’t know, it was a busy day, but it should be in the files somewhere.”

“The thing is, it’s not, that’s why we are here. Is there no way you could remember? You seem to recall plenty of that day.” Gavin was growing a bit impatient, but his words assured Connor that he noticed how perfectly she was describing the day.

“No, sorry, is it important?”

“You could say that,” Gavin ran a hand through his hair. “I guess that’s all for now. Thank you Miss May.”

“Oh, okay.” She was about to return to the lecture, but before she opened the door, she sent them one last look and then disappeared inside. 

Once the woman was out of earshot, Connor turned to Gavin, giving him a second to catch a break before he could tell him what he had observed, but Gavin beat him to it.

“Tell me Connor, would you remember a totally random couple with some android from months ago? When there were hundreds other people and other androids on a busy day?”

“Yes, I remember everything, my memory isn’t like a human one, but Ashley, on the other hand-“

“Exactly.” Gavin did a double take. “Wait what? You remember everything, everything?”

“Yes, my memory doesn’t deteriorate.”

“Uhm, okay.” Gavin was giving him an odd look. At times like this, Connor would especially like to know what was going on in the detective’s mind. Was he thinking of all the occasions he had insulted Connor, or interacted with him? Which were pretty much the same thing. Connor could see every one of those times clearly like it was just moments ago, but the detective might have forgotten plenty of that.

“Whatever, plastic, back to the case,” Gavin snapped all of sudden. Connor didn’t think much of it and let the hurtful name slide. Gavin snapped most of the times when the conversation got even remotely personal. It was his defense mechanism. Though Connor wouldn’t mind if the other detective opened up to him and he surely wouldn’t think of him as anything less because of it. 

“It could be a coincidence.”

“Or not,” he rubbed his eyes again. “God, I’m too tired for this shit.”

“We can discuss this at a later time. I propose we talk to the older technician next. I can drive while you rest a bit.”

“Yeah, that sounds fucking fantastic right about now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And she rises from the dead! But really, guys, I feel honestly so bad for not keeping up with this. Hopefully you can forgive me.


	7. Long hours

Gavin was soundly dozing off in a seat next to Connor as the android drove from one side of Detroit to the other. He had reached into his inner systems to find out the address of the clinic Harry Cooper worked at. It was the man’s turn to answer some questions. 

“Gavin, we have arrived.” Connor attempted to wake him, a steaming cup of coffee ready in his hands to give the detective who was surely going to be grumpy.

“Dude, you seriously need to stop doing this,” Gavin groaned, keeping his eyes shut for just a single extra minute. 

Connor beamed internally at the lack of insults and put the coffee closer to the detective so he could get a whiff. “Here, detective.”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop with that bullshit?” he said while taking the cup and accepting the peace offering. He knew they were still on the job and that his complaints weren’t helping them work the case, but well, it wouldn’t be Gavin if he didn’t voice his discomforts. 

“Yes, you did.” Connor remembered, just like he remembered everything else. He was merely trying to be polite, though it seemed not to play well with the detective.

“Then fucking stick to it, dumbass.” He rolled his eyes and stumbled out of the car, trying to keep the cup from spilling the hot coffee all over himself. Connor hurried to catch up with him. 

As if sensing that Connor was within the hearing range, he asked: “So which one is the older technician? Cooper or Larson?”

“Harry Cooper, he should be at work.”

“The clinic, yeah, I know.”

Gavin downed the coffee in his usual fashion, making Connor eye him with concern. He was sure the beverage was still considerably hot. But the detective didn’t seem to care as he stumbled through the entrance to the clinic. Connor was quickly by his side, his hands hovering near the detective. “Are you sure you are alright, Gavin? Maybe it would be wiser if you stayed in the car. I am fully capable of conducting the questioning.”

“Okay, fine, whatever, you don’t have to sound like such a smartass all the time, but I’m not staying in the car.” With that Gavin pushed past him. There was no telling what kind of person Cooper was and he sure as hell wasn’t letting Connor, obviously an android, go in there when they were dealing with a serial killer that was after androids. It would slow down his case and not to mention the amount of paperwork. That was all that was behind it, Gavin told himself.

Connor expected Harry Cooper to be friendly towards androids. Surely someone against them wouldn’t be working in a clinic that provided help. He was sure the questioning would be quick and smooth. Gavin, as opposed to Connor’s more optimistic views, saw the clinic as a perfect opportunity to profit from androids. The CyberLife stores were shut down after it was prohibited to sell androids like some things and so clinics not much unlike this one were all the androids could rely on.

Although Gavin could be wrong, but he simply didn’t have that much faith in humans, himself included. They could be real assholes sometimes and Gavin was no exception to that. However, he didn’t say anything. Connor was entitled to his hopes and he could be right, Gavin just couldn’t see it. 

Inside, there were more androids than humans which made Gavin feel a bit uneasy. He reluctantly let Connor go first, which reduced the number of questioning looks, but only by a tiny bit. If this was what androids were used to, this uneasiness… Gavin already hated how it made his skin crawl. 

“DPD, we are here to see Mr Cooper,” Connor said to the secretary, a nice-looking older lady.

“He should be in his office, that way.” She pointed to the hall on the right side. Connor nodded his thanks and moved the way she showed. Gavin on his heels. He could make out the secretary giving a quick heads-up to the man before they entered his office.

“Hello, how can I help, detectives…?” The man stood up to greet them.

“Reed, Anderson,” Gavin said as he sat down in one of the chairs. Connor eyed him with a hint of disapproval. The man hadn’t told them to sit down, but what was done was done, so Connor followed Gavin’s example. 

Connor followed the usual procedure with the line of questioning. He said pretty much the same stuff that Gavin did when they were talking to Ashley May earlier. It was like following a sort of script. With only small variations here and there.

“That was long time ago, I'm sure you understand that a man of my age can’t possibly remember something like that,” Cooper laughed a little. Connor failed to see how it was amusing.

“You are merely 40 years old, Mr Cooper. Memory starts to deteriorate in average at the age of 45,” Connor pointed out. He had Harry Cooper’s file memorized. 

“Ah, yes, but in no way do I remember as much as yourself, detective Anderson. I know what you got in that head of yours, all those wires and gears. We humans can’t even begin to compare, isn’t that right detective Reed?” he said, amused.

“Yeah, right,” Gavin muttered, his cold eyes at the man who wasn’t really all that funny.

Connor ignored the man. He was used to teasing. “The android, TR400 model, had damaged arm. Quite severely, I might add, it wasn’t an exactly cheap repair. The whole arm component had to be exchanged for a new one. Does none of this clear your memory?”

“Well, usually people didn’t bother with such expensive repairs, an android damaged like that would be sent away.”

“Sent away?” Gavin jumped in, confusion clouding his features. Could he not know?

Cooper glance at Connor, who was giving him a blank look. “You know, sent away to be shut down, all functions turned off and the remains sent to the nearest junkyard. Of course, with the new law, it’s not done anymore.”

“Christ.” Gavin leaned back into the chair, not really looking at anyone. He seemed deep in thought so Connor simply continued with the questions.

Cooper didn’t know much, and was pretty sure he wasn’t the one who did the repair. Connor quickly concluded they were wasting their time here. Before they left, the man was sure to give Connor the clinic’s card, just in case he ever needed fixing. 

“You don’t need that crap.” Gavin snatched the card from Connor’s hands, crumpling it in the process and throwing it to the nearest bin. 

“I might have,” said Connor, but did nothing to stop the other detective. Gavin only glared at him.

“I don’t like that Cooper dude.”

“On account of what, exactly?” Connor continued. It was incredibly easy to get a rise from Gavin. Connor was starting to enjoy the banter, even if he usually ended up called stupid plastic or something along those lines. Lately, Gavin didn’t put much spite into his words. 

“I just don’t, it’s a gut feeling, that man was, ugh… sleazy.”

“If you say so.” The corner of Connor’s lips quirked up just a bit. 

“It must have been Larson who did the repair.” Connor turned serious.

“Yeah, no shit.” It was obvious it had to be Larson, he was the only one left. “We can talk to him tomorrow, I have to feed my cat.”

Connor nodded in agreement. They had been up since early morning, or at least Gavin. Connor even longer than that, but his system was still functioning properly. He could go days without charging. Of course, his functions wouldn’t be at their best, but he would still be able to perform the most basic tasks. By the time they got back to the station, it would be almost the time to call it a day. 

Gavin drove this time, insisting on being just fine. Connor let him, although not after a quick scan. He reminded himself that Gavin was most likely used to being woken up fairly early. He was a detective just like Connor and crime didn’t wait for the police department to be up and running. 

They went to their respective desks, both of them working on the reports. It wasn’t anyone’s favorite part, but still a part of being in the force. 

Having finished his last report, Connor left the area of his desk. He subconsciously went to Gavin’s desk, only to stop in his tracks when he realized what he was doing. Gavin wasn’t there, but what confused him was how confidently he chose the route. The thing was, he kind of didn’t. Had he wanted to ask Gavin how he was faring? Or was it a tiny error in his code? Maybe going two days without rest was starting to show its consequences. It shouldn’t be though. Connor ran a quick diagnostic on himself, leaving the station as confused as ever after finding out everything was as it should be.

.

“Hello, Hank,” Connor greeted the lieutenant after he let himself in into the man’s apartment. He petted Sumo briefly, a smile on his lips, he had to put the groceries away before he could pay his full attention to the dog.

“Connor, fucking finally. Please, bring me that bottle before I die.”

“You don’t seem to be in any danger,” Connor said to which Hank only rolled his eyes. 

“Is that sarcasm? Listen, I know Fowler is making you work the case with Reed, but honestly, that man is bad news.” 

Connor only laughed at that. “I can assure you that Gavin’s rude behavior has no influence on me.”

“So it’s Gavin now? Huh, look at that.”

“I was surprised as well. Working with Gavin isn’t all that bad.” Connor took the bottle the lieutenant was asking for and handed it to him. He sat down next to the man, Sumo hot on his trail. 

“You sure? It’s kinda hard to believe. That man’s been a dick to you since you first arrived at the station,” Hank shrugged his shoulder, taking a swing.

“So were you, lieutenant.”

“Fair point, but still, I can call Fowler, get him to make some readjustments, he’ll listen to me, begrudgingly, but he will.” He looked Connor straight in the eyes. Captain Fowler was ever frustrated with Hank, but he was a decent man. If Hank asked for a favor, with a good reason, he would abide. 

“No, Gavin is nothing I can’t handle.” A lot had gone down between the two, even before Connor deviated. Connor was sure it was different to Gavin, now that Connor was more than just a piece of machinery in his eyes. But the process of acceptance was a slow one. It was a big adjustment for humans – finding out their property was more alike to them than they had thought.

.

Connor stepped through the entrance of the station, heading for the elevator that would take him up to the office area. The first thing he noticed in otherwise vacant hall, was Gavin, leaning with his back on the wall by the elevator. He was positively mad.

Connor approached him carefully, as one might approach a wild animal. Gavin said nothing, instead he kept sending death glares Connor’s way as the android pushed the button to bring down the elevator.

“Good morning,” he said unsure of himself. Was there something he had done wrong? His brows furrowed as he mentally went over the last few days. He couldn’t find a reason for angering the detective so. 

Gavin silently followed him into the elevator, waiting for the automatic door to close before he turned all his fury at Connor. “You plastic fuck.”

“I don’t-“

“Don’t you fucking interrupt me.” Connor closed his mouth. “So imagine this, I get to work, nice and early, and the first thing I hear is Fowler telling me to go to his office. Now, there is nothing weird about that, right? But then, what do I hear… Connor this and Connor fucking that. Your amazing theories and all the clues you put together. That’s just fucking low, you prick. We are supposed to work together on this case, not that I care, but at least have the decency to tell me about the leads you find, not go straight to captain for the glory.”

“Gavin, it’s no-“

“Save it, asshole. Just stay out of my fucking way.” 

Gavin left the elevator, not sparing him another glance and Connor was shocked to the point of being unable to follow, his mouth hanging open. He had no idea what Gavin was talking about.


	8. The club

Connor recovered from the shock but not before the other detective could disappear behind the corner. He moved to follow him immediately. This was nothing but a misunderstanding, it couldn’t be more than that. Something obviously angered Gavin, great many things angered Gavin, but this seemed like more. 

He saw him sit down at his desk, quite aggressively. If the flying pens and papers were anything to go by. The other officers cast some curious looks his way but didn’t dare approach a fuming Gavin. His bad temper was nothing new at the station. 

“Hey, Connor, I need to speak with you,” captain Fowler’s voice rang from the side. Connor dragged his eyes away from the angry detective, he was conflicted. He had to clear things out between him and Gavin, but Fowler was his superior.

Deciding that Gavin wasn’t about to go anywhere any time soon, he hesitantly entered captain’s office. 

“I’ve read your report yesterday. You’ve stated quite a few interesting observations.”

“I have merely reported all the information I have gathered.” Connor didn’t understand. He had done reports many times, he failed to see how this one was any different. He went through all his memories from the crime scene and summarized the evidence in detail, like he always did. 

“I’ve decided how you should continue the case. I feel we’re getting close to this killer and Larson is currently our only lead. We’ve got to be smart about this. Your report’s been a great help with the plan. I’ve already run it by Reed, he’ll tell you all about it.”

“Detective Reed, he… um… I’m afraid-” Connor tried to speak his mind, not even sure what he wanted to say exactly.

“I’d say you look a bit out of it,” captain Fowler put down the file and looked straight at Connor, “for an android.”

Connor was startled by the captain’s honesty and the words themselves. While it was true that he was an android, he still had his feelings and emotions, but the captain was right. Connor wasn’t always this unfocused. It pretty much all started with this case and with working with Gavin. That man might not have been influencing him in a way Hank thought, but he was making him question his emotions more and more. Even though it only left him confused most times.

“I can assure you, captain, that all my systems are functioning normally,” Connor said, using his last self-diagnostic for reference. There was nothing wrong with him.

Captain merely nodded, although Connor observed a bit of a doubt in his eyes. Since he didn’t comment further, Connor left. 

Seeing that Gavin wasn’t at his desk, he asked the first nearest detective where the man had gone. He was sent to the break room. Gavin was, no doubt, getting another cup of coffee. It couldn’t have been his first, maybe even a third one, from what Connor knew about the man.

Without hesitation, Connor walked into the room. “Gavin.”

The detective looked up from the cup he was currently trying to fill. However, as soon as he realized it was Connor addressing him, he forcefully put the pot and the cup back to the counter and strode to the android. Other officers, without a second though, hurried to make space for them. The tension in the room was unbearable and so all of them rather left than witness whatever was going to go down between the two.

“Gavin, let me speak,” Connor said, his hand up in a non-threatening way. Gavin stopped mere inches from him. Connor’s hand was almost touching his chest.

“I see that something has angered you,” Connor started.

“That’s an understatement.” He glared at Connor.

“But I am not aware of the origin of this anger and so the only possibility is a misunderstanding. If you could tell me specifically what the problem is, I would appreciate it.” If Hank was there, he would probably tell him how sarcastic the last part sounded, but he wasn’t there so Connor was left blissfully unaware.

“Oh, yeah I can tell you.” Gavin got even closer, seemingly trying to come off as menacing, which did nothing to Connor. Maybe it would work better if Gavin didn’t have to tilt his head slightly to glare at Connor directly.

Connor waited for him to speak.

“Your fucking stellar report and so, so detailed. Only you have forgotten to share those kind of important details with me.”

“As I told captain this morning, I only reported what I have observed. I was planning on going over my theories with you after coming to the station.”

“Well you should’ve told me about your theories before even writing that damn report.”

“If that’s what is bothering you, then I apologize,” Connor said with his voice even, unlike Gavin who was getting really worked up about it.

“Whatever, doesn’t matter now. We’re going undercover tonight, to that place Larson works at. Captain was rather impressed with how you pointed out both murder scenes were pretty close to the club. Larson could be our guy, so don’t fuck this up, plastic.” He showed past Connor and left, leaving his coffee behind.

There wasn’t much improvement between them, but Connor at least knew what was up. He had reanalyzed the murder scene from last night and added some of his observations to the report, things he had not noticed right away. Therefore, he couldn’t tell Gavin. To be fair, he was going to, he would always tell Hank. But the thing was, he and Hank spent long hours at the station, and so when Connor found a possible lead, Hank was by his side. It was different with Gavin. Gavin left the station without taking Connor into account. 

He poured the rest of the coffee into Gavin’s cup and with it, he went after Gavin.

“You forgot your coffee.”

Gavin looked up at him, still glaring, though his head was held up high in defiance. “If I wanted it, I would’ve taken it.” 

Connor knew Gavin was lying. He needed an incredible amount of coffee to function, especially in the morning. After a minute of silence, Connor simply put the cup on the desk and walked away.

“I said-” Gavin tried, but Connor was already out of earshot.

He didn’t speak with Gavin the whole day, but he noticed that Gavin had drunk the coffee anyway. Later that day, Connor went to check up on Hank, but he was doing just fine, even with a broken leg. It wasn’t the first time he had a leg in a cast. The visit wasn’t long because Connor needed to get ready for the undercover operation.

Back home, he had some clothes that would fit the club and make him not stand out at the same time, but what he needed to figure out was a way to cover his LED. At the end he went with a simple gray beanie. 

He was meeting Gavin outside the club. Connor arrived exactly on time and was a little taken aback by the fact that Gavin was already there. He knew the detective could be serious when it came to the job, but it still amazed him to see it.

“Just sit in your assigned seat, order a drink every half an hour or so, don’t talk to anyone, got it, asshole?” Gavin didn’t wait for his answer and walked to the steps of the club. Connor concluded he was still mad.

Once inside, it became painfully obvious what kind of club it was. There wasn’t a single woman among the many party-goers. They didn’t need to be detectives to see it was a gay club. 

“Motherfuckers,” Gavin said in disbelief. Connor didn’t understand his sudden annoyance but when he looked at him, Gavin didn’t seem angry, not like he was just seconds earlier outside. There was something else going on in his mind. 

Without more, they went their separate ways. Gavin surely wasn’t about to talk to him if there was something bothering him. Connor wondered if there actually was at least one person who Gavin would confide in. If there was, Connor had never heard about them. 

From his seat behind the bar, Connor could see the bartender – Brandon Larson – perfectly. The still young man moved behind the counter with a swift precision, pouring drinks left and right, without spilling a single one. The man’s agility made Connor ponder if he would be physically able to act out the murders. 

From Brandon’s picture in CyberLife database, Connor had almost dismissed him as a possible murderer, but with this new information, it could have been possible for the man to do it. The agility and fast, calculated moves gave him an advantage. The killer was known to strike the victim in their optical unit to disorient them before actually ending their life. It didn’t require that much strength but it certainly was a skill to come at the unsuspecting android from the back. And this man might just be able to do that.

Connor ordered a beer, not really drinking it, just fidgeting with the bottle. He glanced at Gavin who was seated several seats down. He could see he was doing a similar thing, just his drink was most likely something non-alcoholic. 

“Hey, there, sweet cheeks,” a strange voice said by Connor’s ear, too close to his liking. The other man had to be close for Connor to make out what he was saying, because he had no idea Connor was actually an android. There was no need to breach his personal space like that, but if he wanted to stay undercover, he couldn’t say anything.

“Hello,” Connor said to the man, just to be polite. He didn’t want to start a conversation but thought it might antagonize the man if he was absolutely ignorant. Instead he decided on a curt greeting and turned to face the bar in front of him.

“Oh, don’t be like that! C’mon.” He leaned on the bar with one elbow, sporting a drink of his own. Connor got a whiff of alcohol from his breath as he leaned even closer to his face. With a single look, he scanned the man’s face. Zeke Milard. He had a criminal record. A very recent one. The man had gotten into a fight when drunk. That didn’t sound like good news. More like a dangerous complication to their operation.

Zeke grabbed Connor’s chin and moved his head to face him. His LED flashed red under his beanie, he couldn’t do much if he didn’t want to bring any attention to himself. Gavin told him not to speak to anybody, not to fuck up. This felt like he was doing just that, even if not on his own accord. 

“I’m gonna buy you a drink, how about that?”

Connor’s processors were running wild as he tried to think of a way to get out of this. “Thank you, but I already ordered.” He raised the bottle of beer in emphasis.

“Yeah, but I’ll get you the good stuff.” The man leaned even closer. He was just about as close as Gavin was when he was yelling at him in the break room. With Gavin, Connor hadn’t felt even remotely as uncomfortable as he did now. 

The man had the audacity to put his other hand on Connor’s tight, while calling for the bartender. Connor attempted to move away from Zeke as far as the stool would allow him, but it wasn’t much, the man’s hold didn’t budge. 

His LED turned fully red as the bartender, the man they were here to watch, came directly to them. Connor couldn’t do anything if he didn’t want to stand out to Larson, but it was getting worse to endure as Zeke squeezed his leg. 

“What can I get you two?” the bartender smiled politely.

“Two shots of the best thing you got,” Zeke said with an equally bright smile. Larson’s obliviousness to Connor’s situation did nothing to ease him. He still had to deal with the man, somehow.

Larson poured the drinks in front of them, the translucent liquid was served in small glasses, as was customary. Now, Connor had to figure out how to excuse himself from not drinking the shot. The color of his LED didn’t change.

Zeke took his glass and handed the other to Connor. “To us.”

Connor stared at the glass in his hand. What now? He cast a quick glance Zeke’s way. He would soon question him why he hadn’t drunk his one yet. Connor was screwed. He looked back at the glass, noticing for the first time the faint red spot on it. He looked closer, only to discover it was a reflection. His beanie had moved from its original position. That was the moment Connor almost succumbed to panic.

A hand swiftly pulled the beanie back to its place. “Cool hat, man.”

Gavin. 

“Sorry, you mind?” Gavin forcefully got in the middle of the man and Connor, making him drop the hold on his leg. Connor would lie if he said he wasn’t instantly relieved when seeing the detective. “Can I get the same beer he’s having?” he addressed the bartender with a raise of his hand.

“One sec,” Larson called back.

“Oh man, that’s one nasty cut,” Gavin said to Zeke, referring the cut just under his hairline. Connor hadn’t even noticed. He was too focused on getting out of the situation.

“I- uh- it’s nothing.” The confident Zeke vanished. Connor was designed to look non-threatening, though appealing. A regular person, so actual humans wouldn’t be put off by his presence. Gavin, on the other hand, could be intimidating, with his dark hair and the prominent scar over his nose. Not to add, Gavin was strongly built, a sure advantage of his work.

“You sure, man? ‘Cause I got some cop friends if you need some shit dealt with.”

“Nah, man, all good, really.” Zeke quickly drank the shot that was supposed to be Connor’s, before stumbling from the bar. “There’s this thing-”

“Of course,” Gavin said with an understanding smile, going as far as waving at the man as he all but run away.

“If I remember correctly, I told you not to talk to anyone, especially shitheads like that.” Gavin seated himself at the now vacant seat. He took a swing from Connor’s untouched beer. 

“I was not planning on engaging the man. However, I must say, noticing that cut was incredible. I have not seen it, even after made aware he took part in a brawl recently.”

“What? You knew that man?” Gavin looked at him astounded.

“No, I merely analyzed his face and ran it over our database.”

“So you fucking knew he had violent tendencies and did nothing? What the fuck, Connor?”

“I had to accomplish the mission. Drawing attention to myself seemed fruitless.”

“Don’t give me that crap, the guy was pretty much groping you.”

Gavin was right and Connor knew it. He stayed silent, prompting Gavin to let out a sigh. The detective ran his hand through his hair, letting go of some of that anger. He could see it in the android’s eyes that he was aware of what was going on and what it could have resulted in had Gavin not interfered. Giving him a hard time about it would be almost cruel. The fear Connor went through might not have been obvious to a stranger, but Gavin had spent quite some time around the android and he knew Connor’s LED didn’t turn red for nothing. 

“Well, you did a good job, Larson suspects nothing.” He shut his mouth as the said person brought his drink. “The club closes in an hour, we have to wait till then, but,” he tipped his bottle into a direction of a man, “he had been eyeing that guy over there for a while. And it ain’t just some guy.”

Connor, still a bit flustered from what had transpired earlier, had to look more closely to register that the guy, was, in fact, not a guy at all. He was an android. “That’s promising.”

“Yeah, we just have to wait.”

After few minutes of silence, Connor had to ask: “Are you not going back to your seat?”

“No.”

“But it would be more effective, that way we would cover more ground and-”

“I said no, Connor.”

With that, Connor was again left confused. Gavin could be rude and impulsive, but he also did things like this, like insisting on Connor not calling him detective. And Connor, even if he might not have been well versed in understanding all that humans did, was pretty sure Gavin wanted to stay at this particular seat to make sure that no one else bothered him. Of course, there was the rational part of Connor’s brain telling him that Gavin simply wanted to finish the operation without complications, but all things considered, Connor felt like Gavin, even if he claimed otherwise, might just care.


	9. New findings

“This is it, they’re heading out,” Gavin said, taking his jacket in one swift move and leaving his seat. Connor was right behind him.

Larson’s shift had ended and the android he was eyeing left just seconds earlier by the back entrance. As soon as Larson went the same way, they knew they had him. It was almost perfect. If they caught the man in the act of killing, there was no way of getting back from that. No lawyer to get him out of it. 

“Gavin, we should call for back up.” Connor caught Gavin by the elbow, stopping the eager detective. After all they were after a dangerous killer, even if the man looked kind of scrawny. He had already managed to kill two androids and possibly the android known to them as Frank. 

“Fuck that. Do you want to get him or not?” Gavin jerked his arm away from Connor. 

Connor quickly followed the man out. They passed the toilets, another door only for the staff members and then there was the exit. Gavin drew his gun, motioning for Connor to do the same. 

Back when androids were nothing but machines to humans, he was not allowed to carry a weapon, that had changed and so now, just like every other detective or police officer, Connor had his own gun. However, he was still reluctant to use it.

“Ready?” Gavin mouthed a silent question. Connor nodded and with that they were storming out, Gavin yelling ‘DPD’.

Larson was there in the alley, pinning the android to the wall. Connor noticed right away that there was something wrong with this scene. The killer hit the victims in their optical units at first. Was this android putting up a fight?

Gavin, on the other hand, didn’t need to analyze the scene to understand the two were in the middle of a heated make-out session. “Jesus Christ.” He lowered his weapon.

Connor did not. “I don’t understand. Ga-”

“No one’s killing anyone today,” he jumped in before Connor could finish. “Hey, knock it off, you two!”

Larson and the android finally let go of each other, Larson gaping for breath. “What’s going on?” he eventually asked.

“Not much I guess,” Gavin grumbled, already mad that they didn’t get the killer. “We have some questions, so if you could…” He waved towards the door back inside the club. 

The android and Larson whispered something to each other before they parted their ways. Larson came with them inside and the android left.

“He’s so not gonna call me now,” Larson sighed as he took a seat by the bar. Gavin sat down two stools over and Connor stood by him, albeit a little awkwardly.

“Mr Larson, if you could focus.” Gavin eyed him in annoyance. 

“Sure, sure.”

Connor then proceeded to tell him what they needed to know. However, his answers weren’t exactly what they were hoping for.

“Oh, man, I don’t know. There was a whole bunch of androids and even more needed fixing. It really ain’t in the files? That doesn’t sound like my man Harry, but I also took it seriously. I wouldn’t do such a stupid mistake.”

“How are you so sure? It can happen to anyone.” Gavin shrugged.

“But I wasn’t anyone. Do you know how hard it was to get a job at CyberLife? At that age? I wasn’t going to waste such an opportunity because of a small mistake. No, I’m not stupid.”

“Oh, yeah. The man behind it all sure seemed to have a weakness for smart brats like you and him. Ain’t that fucking right?”

“Detective,” Connor warned Gavin. He might have been angry, but he would usually still hold it in when they were talking to witnesses or suspects. He could keep his cool during a job. This wasn’t cool… far from it. Connor didn’t understand what got to him but he knew it was something personal. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Larson stood up from his chair, glaring at Gavin. Gavin, of course, copied his move and Connor had to step between the two to prevent a fight.

“Nothing, Mr Larson. Please, sit down,” Connor said with a calm voice, but in reality, he wasn’t all that calm. Something was up with Gavin and it didn’t sit well with him. He’d like to know what, but at the same time he knew Gavin wouldn’t tell him. The last thing he needed was a fight erupting.

Connor wasn’t easily distracted, being an android and all, but he couldn’t get Gavin out of his mind. The detective was often unpredictable, but now he was emotional, irrational and on a job. It wasn’t like him and it unnerved Connor. He had to focus on asking the questions, not what was wrong with Gavin.

Larson sat back down, but Gavin didn’t, which prompted Connor to turn to him. “I think it would be better if you waited outside.”

“Like hell.”

“You’re not thinking, Gavin, please. Besides, it’s almost over.”

“Fine, whatever. I don’t want to deal with that fucking douchebag anyway.” With one last glare Larson’s way, Gavin was out. Connor took the seat he had vacated.

“What an asshole,” Larson stared at the back of Gavin’s neck as he was walking to the door.

“Detective Reed has had a long day,” Connor said matter-of-factly. There were times when he wouldn’t lie, but that was over now. He didn’t want anyone filing a complaint against Gavin. And he wasn’t necessarily lying. They had been at the station, working and then had to spend hours waiting in the club.

“Is there really no way of telling who did Frank’s repair?”

“No, man. It’s what I’m telling you. It was always busy. Maybe Ash-” he stopped himself.

“Yes?” 

“Uhm,” Larson didn’t seem as eager as before.

“Are you referring to your past colleague, Ashley May?” Connor tried to get a reaction.

“You know her?” There was a genuine surprise there. “I suppose you do when you knew where to find me,” he laughed awkwardly. “Well, yeah, I was gonna say she might remember. That’s it.”

“We already did. She seemed to recall the day very well, apart from this little thing.”

“Oh, well, that’s a shame, but there really isn’t much I can do for you.”

Connor agreed with him and thanked him for his time. As he was standing up, Larson was already taking out his phone. 

“Why didn’t you tell me-” Connor overheard the beginning of the phone call, but figured it wasn’t his place to listen and left. Gavin was waiting for him outside anyways.

“Finally,” the detective said when Connor emerged from the club’s dark entrance door. 

“He doesn’t remember, however he recommended we speak with Ashley. He was rather surprised to know we already did.”

“So we got shit.” Gavin kicked some trash lying on the street. “Fucking great.”

“We must be missing something. We can review all the data tomorrow.”

“Today, it’s already past two. And for what?”

“Are you alright, Gavin? You do have a temper,” Gavin scoffed at that, “but this isn’t the same. Was it something Larson said back there?”

Gavin was quiet, glaring at the ground. Connor thought he would ignore him completely, until he spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper. “He just reminded me too much of my brother.”

“I wasn’t aware you have a brother,” Connor said softly.

“Well, now you know, but it doesn’t change anything. We haven’t spoken in years.”

“You haven’t seen your own brother in years?” Connor didn’t understand. What could have happened to divide them like that? Own blood?

“Haven’t spoken to. I see him all the fucking time.”

“What-“

“I don’t wanna talk about him, Connor, so don’t. Not now.”

“Alright.” The last thing Connor wanted was making Gavin uncomfortable. He already got more than he expected from him and he wasn’t going to push him. That never worked with Gavin anyways. There was a kind of promise behind his words. He would tell him more, just later. When the time was right. Connor was happy with that.

 

.

 

“Hey. Hey!” Gavin tried to get Connor’s attention as the android entered the area where their desks were. 

“Good morning, Gavin.”

“Yeah, to you too. So Ashley May… isn’t it still bugging you? How she remembered all that stuff?”

“The low probability of her remembering that day in such a perfect detail didn’t change last time I checked.”

Gavin ignored Connor’s remark and continued his theory. He was in a very different mood from the previous day. Connor would dare say he hadn’t really seen him this excited before. 

“She even knew his name, but then… did you notice that too? Her whole attitude changed.”

“Yes, as soon as you questioned the name.”

“As if she realized she was giving us too much detail.”

“That’s plausible, but we need evidence. Do you think she could be the killer?”

“I don’t know yet, but we should talk to her again, and soon. If she ain’t the killer, she must at least know what happened to Frank.”

Connor mulled it over. “She would remember more from the day if there was something tying her to the couple and Frank.” He thought some more. “I’ll try finding further information about her.”

“Yeah, do that. I’m gonna go over the other stuff.”

Just as he promised, Connor walked to his desk, turned on his terminal and got to work. He started by finding her parents and then he ran her name over all the lists and databases he could access. It took him hours to find something relevant, but he did, and it sounded too good to be true. 

Connor, happy with his findings and even a little proud of himself, immediately went to tell Gavin. He found him in the break room. “Gavin, I think I got something big.”

Gavin, as well as other officers in the room, turned to him. “Fucking great. My search was useless.”

The few officers in the room besides the two detectives looked at each other, their expressions mixed with worry and shock. They were used to Gavin’s, often rather mean, jokes aimed at the android, not this what could be considered a civil conversation from Gavin’s side. 

“Well, this is new,” officer Chan muttered to no one in particular, watching the two interact like it was a scene out of a movie and sipping her tea.

“A storage room, registered to one Ashley Cortland.”

“Cortland?” Gavin said, squinting his eyes at Connor in confusion.

“Ashley May’s mother. Her maiden name was Abigail Cortland.”

“That’s fucking brilliant!” Gavin exclaimed. He put his hands on Connor’s shoulders, patting him proudly and adding just a little squeeze before he let go and hurried out of the break room. 

Connor stood frozen for a second, his expression unreadable. He then left the break room as well.

Tina Chen, still watching the whole thing unfold in front of her eyes, grinned. “Oh, Gavin, this is brilliant,” she mumbled under her nose, shaking her head. “Huh, who would’ve thought.”

 

.

 

“You got the key?”

“Right here.” Connor pulled out the key to the storage room they got from the owner of the whole complex. It took them almost two hours to get there. It was easy to get a search warrant for the place. No one wanted to deal with a serial killer on loose and so finding the culprit was a top priority. Then all they had to do was drive there and obtain a key. 

“Open it.” Gavin told him. “Here goes nothing,” he added.

Connor unlocked it and threw the gate up in one swift motion. Gavin already had his gun in the direction.

Nothing happened. There was utter silence. They walked inside the dark storage room, both on high alert. They had no idea what to expect from this. Old toys at worst, Ashley hiding at best.

“Find the fucking light,” Gavin whisper-shouted next to Connor. The detective could see even less than the android. The opened gate didn’t illuminate much. If it wasn’t for the faint red glow, Gavin would be going in totally blind.

Connor scanned the closest wall, looking for some kind of a switch. He pulled it down immediately upon seeing it. The sudden bright light was overwhelming. Gavin had to cast his eyes away momentarily, needing time to adjust to the brightness.

“Gavin.” Connor pulled at the sleeve of Gavin’s leather jacket, demanding his immediate attention. 

With his lids still half closed, Gavin looked up, taking in the whole storage room for the first time. “Oh, shit.”

“Help-” A quiet, broken voice sounded from the far end of the room.

It was Frank.


	10. Frank

“Shit,” Gavin repeated himself. He put the gun down in an instant, holstering it as he ran towards the android. Frank was hanging from the ceiling, his hands tied above his head. The knot must have been rather tight or he simply didn’t have enough strength because the white plastic of his real body was showing. “Hold him,” he ordered Connor.

Connor did as he was told without a complaint. It was highly unlikely that Frank would be able to stand on his own, even if he was an android. Connor put his hands around his torso and supported him after Gavin untied him. He did a quick scan and called the back-up. Someone had to help Frank.

“His thirium levels are dangerously low and his optical unit is not functional,” he told Gavin his analysis, still strongly holding the fellow android in his embrace. 

“The traces of thirium we found at the murder scenes…”

“The woman behind the cash register,” Frank said, his voice changing to a robotic sounding one in the middle of the sentence. He was in a terrible state. He must have been in that dark storage room for months. 

“Ashley May?” Gavin supplied.

“Yes, I think that’s her name.” The mechanical voice was unnerving, to Connor just as much as to Gavin. “The man on the phone calls her that.”

“What man?” Gavin pressed. Frank was going to answer but nothing came out of his mouth. He couldn’t speak any more.

“Don’t worry, Frank. We will get you help and then we can talk,” Connor said, glaring at Gavin. He wanted to know who did this to Frank just as much, but not on Frank’s account. Gavin merely held up his hands, leaving the questioning for later. 

The back-up arrived soon after, taking Frank from Connor. The police force had their own resources, they would have Frank fixed in no time. Then they could ask the questions, confirm Ashley’s crimes and possibly have Frank reunited with his old family. Connor was sure Levitts would be happy to hear from them, but first, Connor would make sure that it was what Frank truly wanted. He was a free android now.

 

.

 

“It’s Ashley, gotta be. She drained the thirium out of him, scattered few drops at the ground to throw us off,” Gavin was thinking aloud as they drove back to the station. 

“We will know soon. She might not be our suspect. She could be selling his thirium. It’s very well paid for and hard to get nowadays.”

“Could be.”

“The officers are already on their way to the campus. We will have her in our custody in an hour.”

“Maybe we should pay a visit to Larson again. He knows her and we never asked about her, only about Frank. There could be a motive, maybe he had suspicions.”

Connor agreed with him and so Gavin turned the car around and headed for the night club. It wouldn’t be opened yet, but they could try and if he indeed wasn’t there, they would visit him at his home.

The door was locked, but they could see the light switched on inside. “Weird,” Gavin muttered. Connor had to agree with him. There was someone there and they didn’t seem intent on opening.

Connor went to check the back door while Gavin waited by the main entrance. It was locked as well. He banged his fist on the door. He was met with the same answer. Nothing.

“Hey, where’s the hurry, Brandon?” Connor heard Gavin as he passed the corner of the building. 

“Are you here to harass me again?” Larson said defensively. Unfortunately, Gavin hadn’t made the greatest impression. Connor could see Gavin take a deep breath to calm himself. Connor sped up.

“No, we merely have few more questions for you.”

“We?” 

Connor got to them before Gavin could answer. “Yes, Mr Larson. Can we talk inside?”

“Um,” Larson looked between them and the club. “Can’t you ask your questions here?”

“Okay,” Gavin said, taken aback. He didn’t see a reason why they couldn’t just talk inside, but as long as he was willing to speak than he didn’t particularly care. It wasn’t like the street was crowded or anything. “When have you last seen Ashley May?”

“What? Ashley? Why are you asking about her?” 

“Just answer the question. When have you last seen her?” Gavin was having none of his shit. His obvious distaste of the man was showing. However, Connor was there to keep the detective at bay. 

“I don’t really know, weeks ago? We occasionally hang out, go for coffee. She is alright, I guess you could say we are kind of friends.”

“Do you know how she feels about androids and the new laws?”

“How the hell would I know that, man? I don’t know her all that well.”

“But you just said you are friends.” Gavin, as a detective, paid attention to even the smallest details in what people were saying. Larson may have been a book smart genius but so was Gavin, in his own way.

“Casual friends,” Larson emphasized his words, “it ain’t something you talk about over a cup of coffee.”

“Isn’t it? But you both worked at a store with androids, surely androids were often a topic of your talks.”

“I guess? She was kind of indifferent. I mean, would you care about bread if you worked in a grocery store?”

“That’s hardly the same thing,” Gavin pointed out, looking cross.

“Is it, though? Back when no one heard about deviants, it was pretty much the same.”

There was a tense silence. Connor knew Larson was right. Androids used to be merchandize just like food or home appliances. And they had been treated like that, some still were. Gavin didn’t want to admit the truth. As if admitting it would mean he had partaken in that kind of behavior. He was ashamed. 

“Has she ever mentioned another job to you?” Connor took the lead as both Larson and Gavin were engaging in a staring contest.

“Why are you asking me this? And what nonsense is that? She is a student and worked in a store already. When do you think she would have the time to work another job?”

“Quit being such a smartass and answer the question,” Gavin said through his teeth, still glaring. Connor shot him a concerned look. He didn’t need Gavin losing it for someone like Larson. Though Connor had to agree with him. They were going in loops, wasting time.

“I don’t know, okay?”

Connor’s LED flashed yellow briefly as he received a call from the station. The interaction was brief, none of the humans around him noticed. Connor had to adjust the line of questioning.

“Would you happen to know where Ashley is, at this very moment?”

“At school?” Larson took a guess.

“No, she is not.”

“Well, how would I know? Can you leave me be? Go ask her parents or whatever.” Larson turned his back to them and hurried away from them. They had no excuse to hold him there, he was free to leave whenever, but it still angered Gavin.

“Who does he think he is? Little brat.” He glared in the direction Larson went, even if the man was gone by now and couldn’t see it. “And what do you mean she isn’t there? Where is she?”

“I don’t know. The officers that were sent down there didn’t find her. Her roommate said Ashley didn’t come to the dorms for the last two nights.”

“Damnit. We have to talk to Frank. Do you think they fixed him already?”

“Yes, it’s likely.”

They returned to the station, finding Frank in a much better condition. He was good enough to talk with them, but it quickly became obvious Frank was a dead end. He saw nothing, only heard a bit, but Ashley was careful around him. She didn’t talk to him, like he was nothing but a piece of furniture. You didn’t talk to a furniture. It only assured the detectives that Ashley really didn’t think of androids as real beings. He also couldn’t identify the man Ashley spoke to. His memories were altered by what he had felt.

“There’s one more thing, Frank. Do you remember Levitts?” Connor asked him before they could finish the talk.

A nostalgic smile crossed the android’s face. “Of course I do. They were everything to me. I was holding on because of them. I couldn’t give up, not before I made sure they knew I didn’t just leave them.”

“They want you to stay with them, Frank. Only if you want.”

“They do? I mean, yes. Yes, I want that. There’s nothing I could want more.” He paused for a second, a bit unsure. “I’ve deviated before Ashley took me. They had no idea, I didn’t know how to tell them. I didn’t want them to get in trouble because of me and- and I was selfish. I wanted to stay with them, not be shut down like some computer.”

“Well, you can tell them now. We notified them that you have been found. It seems Mrs Levitt can’t stop crying.”

Frank laughed at that, his own eyes watering. He may have been away from them for a long time, but nothing had changed. Mrs Levitt cried all the time, when happy or sad. Seemed like everything was the same. It would be and it would also be okay. Frank was finally safe and soon to be home.

 

.

 

Connor just got home when he was called back to work. Another murder. This time it was reported even sooner than the previous ones. This time they had a human witness.

“Where is he?” Gavin asked some officer when he arrived. He was frantic, Connor noticed he had missed a button on his shirt. The officers sent him to Connor who instantly understood who Gavin was looking for. 

“He is right there, I was just waiting for you. I figured you would want to get his report.”

“And you were fucking right. Finally something.”

The old man was homeless, passing through the area when he saw something. He wasn’t the one to report the murder but he stayed around. Not many would do that. They rather left the scene so they wouldn’t have to be bothered by the police. 

“Excuse me, Mr…?”

“Novak.”

“Mr Novak, can you tell us exactly what you saw? In as many details as possible.”

“Sure, yeah, I can do that. So I was passing this place, looking for a place to sleep, when I heard some rustling. But not like cat or birds, something bigger. You get to know these kinds of things the longer you are out there. I hid and waited, I sure as hell wasn’t going to look inside. It wasn’t long before this person ran from inside. I couldn’t make out if it was a woman or a man but they were kinda tall and looked strong, covered from head to toe with that blue blood. I think it may have been an android, though.”

“Why do you think that?” Gavin asked, his excitement showing. They had entertained the idea of an android being the killer, but that didn’t seem right no more. Lately they thought it was Ashley. This was interesting and Gavin was outright glowing. There was nothing that could keep him going like a good case. 

“I haven’t finished talking yet, boy.” The man leveled him with a glare. Its intensity made Gavin hunch back. “They were wearing this white jacket, like androids in those stores used to, you know which one?” He looked to Connor, who nodded, aware of what the man was referring to. “Sure, it could be any random jacket. But that thingy on their temple. Like what you got there. They had it. It was bright orange.”

“A LED?” Gavin asked for confirmation.

“Yeah, that’s what it’s called. I always forgot. But yeah, that and orange.”

“Are you entirely sure about the color?”

“How many times do I have to say it? It was orange. I know what a freaking orange looks like.”

Connor and Gavin shared a look. There was no orange LED. It was either blue, yellow or red, nothing in between. Ever. That could mean only one thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading your little theories, guys! Thanks for all your love <3


	11. No android is safe

Connor thanked the man for his time and the two detectives walked further away from the witness. It would be highly unprofessional to share their theories in front of the man. “That can’t be an android. It’s obviously staged,” Gavin said, leaning closer to Connor so they could hear each other over the sounds of police sirens.

“I agree. A LED can’t be orange, even if damaged. And the white android jacket is easy to get, especially in a CyberLife store. Or it used to. If it was Ashley who Mr Novak was describing, that could mean she had been planning all this for a long time. She could have stolen the jacket from the store in preparation.” 

“When we get her she ain’t setting a foot out of jail.”

“You seem sure it is her.”

“Tell me I’m wrong. Just look at all the evidence, not to mention having Frank chained up in a storage room and how weird she was when we talked to her.”

“True, but you also seemed not to like Larson or Cooper. Maybe we should focus more on the hard evidence and as of yet, we don’t have anything solid that would stand in court.”

“I trust my gut, Connor, and if it tells me something’s up, it usually is.”

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you, just that we should be careful. We can’t assume things based on our feelings.”

“Fuck, I know that. But I’d bet everything on Ashley. The fake LED, the jacket, Frank’s blood… it’s all meant to throw us off. Our murderer is human.”

“Yes. Possibly Ashley, but we have to be open to other suspects.”

“Jesus, Connor, I said I fucking get it. It could be Ashley, it could not. I get that.” Gavin rolled his eyes.

“Okay,” Connor said, letting go of the argument. It was fruitless to keep going on about it and Gavin expressed clearly enough that there was no need to. His belief that Ashley was the killer wasn’t going to influence the rest of the investigation. 

“Okay.”

 

.

 

“Are you leaving already?” Gavin squinted his eyes. It was uncharacteristic of Connor to leave the office right as their shift ended and he almost never left before Gavin did. 

Connor stopped in his track, turning to face Gavin. While their relationship was getting better and Gavin ceased to call him names, it was still odd for him to address Connor when the question was not case-related. 

“Yes, I was intending to do so.” Connor was watching Gavin. “Did something come up in the case?”

“Uh, no? Why do you ask?” Gavin was confused.

“Well, you don’t usually stop me to inquiry about anything else.”

“That’s not true,” Gavin denied. Connor merely lifted his eyebrows.

“Whatever.” 

Connor decided to release Gavin from the torture. “With the lack of leads, there isn’t much I could do at the current time, therefore I see no reason in staying at the station. I’m merely heading home with a quick stop at the grocery store. Maybe you should do the same.”

“What? Buy groceries?” Gavin asked dumbly. For a smart detective, he could be really oblivious at times. It was almost endearing, Connor thought.

“Head home.”

“Oh.” There was a pause. “That doesn’t sound bad, I might just do that. Later, though,” Gavin scratched at his short stubble, “I still have some reports waiting on my desk.”

Connor nodded. It didn’t take a genius to see the pile of papers on the detective’s desk. Even if Connor was fast at filing reports and everything that the desk part of the job included, he could understand Gavin’s frustration. “See you tomorrow, Gavin.”

“Yeah, you too, plastic.” His eyes were already focused on the powered on terminal in front of him. With that, their chat was over and Connor was walking to the exit. That was an odd occurrence but Connor would welcome it again.

The store where he was headed to buy food for Sumo was in an opposite direction than his home. Coincidentally, if he walked farther along the road, he would get to Gavin’s place. Connor didn’t mind the small walk, it was refreshing even. He could feel the gentle breeze, all his touch sensors were working perfectly. He was enjoying himself until he spotted a group of dozen or so people huddled together around the corner, blocking the street.

He wasn’t willing to pass through and risk getting himself in trouble. Crowds like that never meant anything good for an android. Instead, he quickly searched for an alternative route and headed into the side alleys. It would take him longer to get to the store, but he didn’t particularly mind. Getting Sumo his food was Connor’s only remaining task for the day.

It was getting dark and Connor was still making his way through the alleys. It wasn’t exactly nice scenery. If he was a human, he would be afraid of getting lost in the seas of trash and cardboard. Connor came to a sudden halt as he walked right up to a tall fence. That wasn’t supposed to be there according to his data. He momentarily spaced out, his LED flashing yellow as he checked the map again, this time more thoroughly. That was, however, a dangerous mistake.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here…” a feminine voice came from behind him, but before he could register what was going on or identify the person, something smashed into his face. He felt himself being dragged somewhere, unable to see. He could either scream for help or try fighting, whatever it was, he had to decide quickly. Shouting wouldn’t probably help much, not in Detroit and the dark alley he so foolishly entered. He could try fighting his way out, but the person had a strong hold of him and without knowing who he was facing he couldn’t calculate his odds. He feared they wouldn’t be anything splendid with his lack of sight in play. 

He dialed Hank. It was almost instinctual but the man let him down. The phone ringed and Connor couldn’t waste time waiting. He didn’t know how much time he had. The next person on his list was Gavin, of all people. 

“What is-” 

Connor quickly cut him off. He played the address of where he currently was. He didn’t dare speak out loud so all Gavin heard was a mechanic voice, similar to Frank’s broken one. 

“The hell? Is that you, Connor?”

“Help,” Connor managed to say, his voice full of alarm and fear. He didn’t know what he was facing, but he was getting an idea. He had seen many dead androids in his life. 

“Who are you talking to, detective?” That female voice again. “Are you calling someone? Bad, bad boy.” Another kick to his stomach. He couldn’t see the outside world, but he could still make out the red flashing alerts in front of him. His optical unit was seriously damaged, but it could be still repaired. This woman knew what she was doing, immobilizing him with just one hit.

It dawned on him then. The first strike to the optical unit… he knew what that meant and who did that. He also knew that voice – Ashley. It was her, but at the same time not. It was her voice and he had no doubts it was indeed Ashley May, currently binding his hands together killing all of his chances of escape, yet her words, the way she spoke was different. This was her element, she was bold and spoke almost teasingly. This was when she could be fully herself, just her and the newest android victim. Connor briefly wondered if she engaged in such a talk with the previous victims or if he was special because of being a detective who was after her. 

“I’ll be done with you by the time anyone gets here, don’t worry.”

She kicked him again, the force of it throwing him to the ground. He tried to shield himself as much as he could by trying to hunch in on himself, but it was kind of awkward with his hands tied behind his back, and rather inefficient as she landed one hit after another. He could take it, as long as she let his thirium pump unbothered. He needed to stall.

He spat some of the thirium to the ground, already feeling it pour over his chin. He needed to clear his mouth in order to talk. “Why are you doing this, Ashley?” he choked out over the thirium that rushed back to his throat as he attempted to stand up again. He only made it to his knees.

“Why are you doing this,” she mimicked his voice, though it sounded terribly, “I don’t have to explain myself to a disgusting android.” He could hear her steps going around him. “You’re not special if that’s what you’re thinking. Aren’t you all thinking that all the time, though? How much smarter and prettier you are. Perfect little creatures. Well, guess what. You were just unfortunate enough to find me. Or should I say fortunate?” 

Ashley laughed. “Oh yes, I haven’t even picked those previous- those things. But they were lucky. They served a higher cause, you all will.”

“What higher cause?” 

“You don’t have to concern yourself with such things. You wouldn’t understand either way, it’s not about numbers and analyzing, it’s emotional, spiritual, it’s beautiful but something like you will never get to experience it.”

Connor didn’t understand what she was going on about, but she was wrong in one thing. He could feel, he had emotions. She was the confused one in this situation, her own beliefs clouding her vision. There was something seriously wrong with her mind. 

“I see you’re quiet now.” He would see her shrug, if he could see. He could only guess what was going on around him. “It sure is a big realization. I’m not saying androids are a waste, but there is no more need for them. You have served your purpose. You made us unite. There is nothing more unifying like a common enemy. Shame that Markus didn’t choose a different path. Can you imagine how easy it would be if his protests weren’t that peaceful?” She sighed.

There was so much happening at that time. There could have been so many outcomes, but what she insinuated… there would be no way androids could survive. The humans would never stop hunting them, they would have a perfect excuse – they started it first.

“Well, now is your time. The message will continue spreading and-”

“Connor?” Gavin’s voice echoed in the mostly empty building. Connor recalled the building was currently under reconstruction. There would be no workers at this hour but surely someone soon enough to find a dead android and report it, it was smart on Ashley’s part. 

He wanted to call out so Gavin could find him faster, but he choked on the thirium. “Oh, no, you ain’t speaking.” He heard her voice awfully close to him. His heart sped up, he could feel it. This was it. 

He was right. Ashley gripped his shoulder and with deadly precision ripped out his thirium pump. 

“No.” Connor dropped to the floor. The alerts were going crazy, red flashed everywhere and all he could do was watch the countdown slowly fall. He had less than two minutes before shutdown. “Gavin.”

Ashley backed away from him, shying away in disgust from the thirium pouring out of his opened chest. Connor forced himself to focus on something beside the countdown. It did him no good. He heard her retreating steps, a silent laugh and a metallic thud on the floor. She dropped the pump. He could still get it, but not on his own. He attempted to speak again but couldn’t do so without choking on his own thirium. 

When Gavin finally got there, gun ready in front of him, the sight of Connor on the floor and bleeding out froze him. “Fuck.” He looked from the laying android on the ground to the other exit which their suspect must have gone through just seconds ago. He could either follow them or help Connor. They had been after the murderer for a long time and they were good at destroying their tracks. This may have been their best chance yet. “Fuck.”


	12. A turn of events

Gavin rushed to Connor’s side, holstering his gun in the process. He didn’t need it, the killer wasn’t about to return and it would only get in the way. He was on his knees, the fabric of his worn-out jeans stained blue and drenched in the thirium. “Shit.” Gavin had no idea what to do with his hands. Was it even possible to stop the thirium from pouring out?

“No,” Connor choked out. Gavin could barely make out what he was saying. He leaned closer, his brows furrowed in worry. “The pump. I need-”

Gavin understood in an instant. He moved to a standing position, slipping on the wet floor as he scurried across the room to find the pump before it was too late. “Where is it?” he screamed angrily. He couldn’t see it anywhere.

“The other-” Connor tried to help him out, “door.” The loud banging in his head was getting unbearable. He wanted it gone, the pain, the noise, the red light and alarms going off in his mind…

“I got it, I got it!” Gavin dropped by his side, turning Connor on his back, as much as his tied hands allowed it, so he could somehow get the pump where it was supposed to be, in the middle of his chest. There was one problem however. “What do I do? Fuck! Connor what do I do?” His voice surged with unmasked panic. 

“Put it in,” Connor said through gritted teeth. The countdown was almost over and speaking was a chore. If Gavin could just do it already.

“Fuck this.” With his eyes half closed and expecting the worst, Gavin put the small piece of machinery into Connor’s chest, getting the thirium all over his hands. However, he must have done something right because there was a quiet click and then Connor was taking a deep breath.

“That’s it?” Gavin said out of breath. He stumbled back, falling down and resting his head in his hands, taking a deep breath. Connor and the pump – it was intense. He knew it was the most inappropriate time but he laughed. It was breathless and desperate, but he couldn’t stop laughing.

“Fuck, plastic, you really scared me there.” Gavin finally calmed down and got back to Connor with a sigh. The android was just lying there, his mouth agape and his chest rising heavily. Gavin got behind him and started untying Connor’s hands. He then helped him stand up, being careful not to slip again… on Connor’s own thirium. It made his stomach twist. Gavin wasn’t the kind of person who fainted at the sight of blood and some spilled liquid made in a lab would never shake him. But this made him feel sick. 

Connor had his eyes open but it took one glance for Gavin to know something was off, not to mention Connor’s LED wasn’t yet back to its usual blue color. “What is it Connor? You gotta talk to me prick or else I won’t know what’s wrong with you.” Gavin’s voice was a bit strained but his usual annoyance was spilling through his concern for his temporary partner. 

“My optical unit is damaged, I can’t see,” Connor admitted quietly. It was… strange, being so vulnerable. He had to depend on others to guide him, he had to trust them. He had to trust Gavin for now. Some time ago, Gavin would undoubtedly use this chance to hurt Connor, to get rid of the annoying android, but things had changed. He could trust him now.

“Shit, okay, ugh-” Gavin was thinking about his next step. “Sit here.” He lowered Connor to the ground. “I’m gonna call the station.”

“Gavin,” Connor gripped the sleeve of Gavin’s jacket, not caring how slippery it was. “Don’t leave me.” His head was up with determination and he would be giving Gavin a serious look if he could see where the detective was, but there was fear hidden behind his held up high head. He was afraid of being left in the dark even if he had never feared the dark before. “I wouldn’t even know if she came back,” Connor whispered at last, his head falling slightly.

Gavin caught Connor’s hand. “Alright, I’m staying, jeez.” He sat down next to Connor, releasing his hand to fish out his phone from somewhere in his jacket. He almost dropped it when he realized something. “Wait, she?”

“You were right. It was Ashley all along.” 

“Fucking knew it, that bitch.”

 

.

 

“Well, just fucking answer then, is he gonna be okay? You’re the damn technician here, you should know.” Gavin jabbed his finger into the man’s chest. He was really not impressed with Gavin’s antics. 

“I already told you, detective. You have to give it some time. His thirium levels are low and he had sustained a lot of damage.”

“But he said it was just his optical thingy.” Gavin threw up his hands.

“Detective Anderson could have been in shock or confused. While it’s true that the optical unit,” the technician emphasized the word ‘unit’ as if Gavin was some stupid child unable to remember the more science-sounding terms, “took the biggest hit, other mechanisms in his chest have been damaged as well. It’ll take a bit longer till it’s all fixed inside. It’s not as easy as fixing a coffee machine.”

Gavin’s glare was his only answer. The technician sighed, figuring arguing with Gavin was to no avail. “You should go get some rest, detective Reed, he won’t be up until early in the morning.”

“Fuck this.” Gavin left the man behind. “I got a killer to catch,” he muttered to himself, already out of the technician’s earshot. His gut was telling him that they were still far from closing this case even if it was confirmed that Ashley May was their culprit. However, Connor’s testimony was so far the biggest clue they got. 

Gavin wasn’t the type to wait and sit in his chair, wallowing in what ifs and could have beens. He got there in time to save Connor, that was most important. They didn’t get Ashley but they would eventually. It was only so long she could run from them. She would eventually run out of places to hide and friends to call for money and help. They would find her and then she would pay for what she almost did to Connor. Gavin would make sure of that. He never wanted to see him like that again, lying in the pool of his own thirium. Gavin shuddered involuntarily at the memory. 

He began with calling Ashley’s parents. They were still alive and judging from the previous interview with her back in the university campus, she was close with them. There was also the possibility she had been lying and had that fake worry learned by heart to make them think she cared about her parents in order not to look too worried. Either way, he would learn soon enough.

“Is this Abigail May, nee Cortland?” Gavin asked on the phone. 

“Yes? Who is it?” It was a cold, curt voice that answered his call. 

“Detroit City Police Department, detective Reed speaking. I have several questions concerning your daughter Ashley. I’d be very glad if you could cooperate.”

“I’m still talking to you, aren’t I? Ask your questions, detective.”

“When did you last speak with or seen Ashley? Has she contacted you recently?”

“I don’t know exactly when, she calls now and then, but she is busy. You know how college life gets, she has a lot on her hands.”

Gavin hated interrogating people through a phone. He couldn’t see Mrs May, he couldn’t pick up on the little things body language gave away. There was no other way, Mays lived far from Detroit, going to see them personally would be a waste. It was unlikely Ashley was currently with them. “I need you to be more specific than that.”

“Maybe two weeks ago? I really can’t tell you.”

“Alright,” Gavin made a quick note of that, “from what I’ve heard from her roommate on campus, Ashley doesn’t have many friends and spends most of her time alone. She also doesn’t have a job. What might there be that makes her so busy?”

“You must have your information wrong, she is always ranting about her job and the drunk customers and whatnot. She works in some bar or club, I don’t know where exactly.” Gavin was scribbling his notes like crazy. “Don’t even get me started on that roommate of hers, I have heard enough about that girl and honestly? I’m glad Ashley doesn’t spend time with the likes of her.”

“Does she ever talk about other friends?” Gavin was itching to get his hands on some names, more people to question, more things to uncover.

“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you, if you would just listen.” Oh, Gavin was listening. “She often mentions her old coworkers from the CyberLife store she worked at till it closed, what a shame, really, she always spoke of them so highly. It’s almost a miracle to find such a good company in a workplace. Guess they got lucky. She talks about this Frank a lot, he could be her boyfriend, I’m not sure.”

So Larson and Cooper weren’t exactly frank with them. They remembered Ashley pretty well, it seemed and still kept in touch. Well, that was a turn of events. Gavin would have to pay both of them another visit. From Mrs May’s words it became painfully obvious that Ashley had been lying to her mother. Gavin wasn’t really surprised at that. Frank was by far Ashley’s boyfriend, but maybe not everything was a lie. Gavin would have to investigate her words further.

“Alright Mrs May. I have one more question, do you know of any special places in Detroit or close to it, where Ashley might go?”

“What places? She is at her campus, as usual, where else would she might go?” There was a pause as the woman was pondering his question, leveling it with her own inquiries. “What is this about? You never told me what this was about.”

“Are you alone Mrs May? Maybe you should sit down.” Hearing that your child was a murderer wasn’t a light thing. If anything happened, Gavin wasn’t there to interject.

“No, I’m with a friend of mine, just tell me.”

“Ashley is a suspect in several android killings and has assaulted a detective. She hasn’t shown up at her dorm for a few days and already missed several lectures. We were suspecting she might contact you.”

“What? That doesn’t sound like my daughter at all! Ashley never gets into fights, she wouldn’t hurt anyone like that.”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but we are certain. Is there any place she could hide that you know of?”

“I- I don’t know.” The snark was gone from her voice, sudden insecurity replacing it. She told Gavin some places Ashley had previously mentioned to her, but there wasn’t much else he could learn from her. He ended the call after she promised to call the station or his number if Ashley contacted her or her husband. He made sure Mrs May understood that getting Ashley behind bars was the best option for her. There was no telling what a mother would be willing to do for her child, so Gavin had to be convincing. 

It took him a while to analyze all the information from his notes but when he was done, it painted a rather twisted picture. All the places Mrs May mentioned, Gavin linked most of them to the murder scenes. Ashley had been telling her mother about the murders she had committed without actually telling her about the killing part. They had to check the remaining ones. Gavin was pretty sure they would find more dead androids. It was rather late, but he sent the intel to the police patrol nevertheless. They would check it out.

His phone rang, it was the technician. Gavin immediately picked it up, listening intently. Connor was fixed and ready to be released. He wasn’t human so there was no recovery time needed, he was fixed and that was that. Gavin moved to grab his jacket from the back of his chair, only recalling it wasn’t there when his hand came back empty. He had to ditch it and change into new pants as well. Jacket be damned, he went to see Connor. 

“I can assure you, Gavin, that I’m just fine.” He looked same as always, Gavin noted with a relieved sigh. And to think that asshole had scared him so just hours ago.

“Well then it’s time to explain some shit. First of all, didn’t you say you were getting groceries? How in the hell did you end up in that alley?” Gavin crossed his arms as if he was angry and he might as well have been, but the creaks of worry on his forehead spoke otherwise.

“I was, but then I had to take a different route. I got lost, that’s how I ended up there. It was a coincidence Ashley was there as well.”

“How did you get lost? The hell, Connor? Don’t you have like a computer in your head?”

“Yes, but the data I acquired was false, I went to check again when she disabled my optical unit.” 

Gavin was frowning, he didn’t like the sound of this. It was stupid and dangerous how Connor let his guard down. “How did you know it was her?”

Connor shrugged. “I didn’t at first, but her voice was familiar. Once I got my bearings back and listened closely, I figured it was her.” 

“What else? I want to hear everything.” Gavin already knew Connor had perfect memory, if it wasn’t damaged they could get a lot from his testimony and one thing was certain, Connor was willing to talk and get the killer, probably now even more determined than Gavin. And to be fair, Gavin was always incredibly ambitious and wanted to end every case as soon as possible. 

Gavin listened closely, paying attention to every detail, no matter how insignificant and asking Connor follow up questions. This memory of his was incredible. He could quote Ashley with a frightening accuracy. No wonder he and Anderson were so efficient in their detective work when Connor could pull up his memories just like that.

“So she isn’t the one picking the victims? But that makes no sense, who is it then?” Gavin pondered out loud.

“Hard to say, but it’s what she was insinuating. I think we should rule in the possibility of an accomplice.”

They continued to talk theories for a while, ending the talk by agreeing to paying Cooper a visit at the clinic the next day. Gavin was so eager to go that Connor had to gently remind him that it was the middle of the night and the man needed to sleep. Even Connor needed to recharge. It had been a long day and not even androids were invincible.

“Right,” Gavin scratched his head. “But we go first thing tomorrow. You should probably call Anderson,” he advised Connor. Not that he particularly cared about the Lieutenant, but Connor had some explaining to do and he knew it, judging by the android’s tired face. 

Despite getting only a few short hours of sleep, Gavin was already in front of Connor’s apartment door at barely 7 a.m., first thing in the morning, just as he had promised. It almost made Connor laugh. Gavin sure was driven when he wanted something bad enough. Catching Ashley seemed to be one of those things. 

“Aren’t we stopping for a coffee?” Connor interrupted the otherwise silent car ride. He was rather confused. It was unusual to see Gavin without a cup of coffee in the morning.

Gavin adjusted his grip on the wheel, glancing quickly at Connor. “I, um, already had two.” Well, that explained a thing or two. 

When they got to the clinic, Gavin strode in like he owned the place. It was much different from the first time they had been there. Connor had to speed up to match his walk, but before he could make it to Gavin’s side, Gavin had already done something.

“Well, maybe you should have been more careful with that shit,” Gavin retorted to someone Connor couldn’t see yet. What was with Gavin angering everyone everywhere he went? Connor seriously needed to be by the man’s side at all times, making sure he didn’t pick any fights. 

Another android was standing in front of Gavin, a cart full of spare components for androids between them. He was gaping like a fish. “Sorry.”

Connor walked up to them slowly, placing a hand on Gavin’s shoulder, silently telling him to keep his temper at bay. They were here for Cooper. Connor passingly scanned the components, it was more of an instinct to be aware of his surroundings than any particular want to do so. However, what he saw made him pause, his brows furrowed. 

The android moved the cart past them and continued on his way. Gavin would have moved as well, but Connor still had his hand on his. With an exasperated roll of his eyes, Gavin turned to Connor, ready to tell him off. Connor’s expression made him stop. “Hey, plastic.” He snapped his fingers in front of Connor’s face.

Connor looked up. He had been in his mind for a second, going through the data from all the reported murders. “Those biocomponents, some of them belonged to at least three of our victims.”

Gavin didn’t need to be told twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That song Brother by Kodaline is actually pretty good? And I totally see how it could apply to previous chapter, especially the lines 'If I was dying on my knees, you would be the one to rescue me.'


	13. Let's talk

Gavin grinned. “Why don’t you call for back-up? We’re finally getting somewhere,” he muttered the last part to himself. He knew his gut wasn’t wrong. There was something shady about Cooper and he knew it. 

“Hey! You!” The android turned around, appearing almost scared. Gavin flashed his badge at him. “DPD. I’ll need you to stop that and not touch anything. In fact,” he raised his voice, “no one is leaving until I say so.” He held up the badge so everyone in the clinic would see it and do as he said. 

“Stay here till the back-up arrives. I’ll go get our man of the hour.” Connor nodded. Gavin’s grin was kind of terrifying. 

“Excuse me!” The older lady Gavin recognized as Cooper’s secretary rose from her chair, slight alarm adorning her face. “You can’t go in, Mr Cooper is having a meeting.”

“Sorry ma’am, but I’m afraid I have to.” 

Gavin charged inside, throwing the door open with one hand, the other resting close to his gun. Just in case. The secretary was yelling something at him, but he dismissed her entirely, his attention on what was inside the man’s office.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite bartender,” Gavin said with a sickening smile, letting his hand drop from the gun. The meeting he so rudely interrupted was in no way a business one. Mr Cooper her was meeting with his friend and an old colleague – Brandon Larson. 

Both men went a bit pale, glancing at each other. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they were surprised by his visit. “What are you doing here?” Cooper’s voice was timid, far from the usual fake sweet talk. 

“Oh, you know,” Gavin was feeling great. Having them both there was golden. “Detective work.” He was about to stride in, arrest Cooper and be done with it but this was so much better. He could play with them, get them to talk about Ashley. Cooper wasn’t going anywhere. Gavin had time until the secretary noticed what was going on in the clinic or till the back-up arrived. It would be at least few minutes.

“I’d hate to interrupt your talk, though I wonder, why would you lie to me, Brandon? You were so eager to make it clear that Ashley May was nothing but a casual friend of yours and that you met here and there, but as you recommended, I spoke to her mother. Turns out you were quite the friends, you included Mr Cooper.” Gavin was itching for their reaction. It was hard to keep a blank face as he waited. Would they try to deny it, lie, shout, turn all angry? There was no telling and it thrilled him. 

Brandon was spitting fire, his hands balled in fists. “What the fuck is your problem, man? It’s not like I think of every single word I say! No one does that! So maybe do your actual work and not turn every fucking word against me!”

“Brandon,” Cooper laughed awkwardly, unsure of himself and approached his friend, patting him on the back, “there’s no need for that. I’m sure detective Reed didn’t mean anything by that.”

Gavin chuckled, crossing his hands. “Didn’t I?”

“You-” Brandon pushed past Cooper, landing a hit. He wanted to knock that grin out of Gavin’s face. His fist connected with Gavin’s jaw, the force of it making Gavin stumble a bit. Before Brandon could do more damage, Cooper was by his side, holding him in place.

“Are you insane?” Even Cooper lost his cool. Gavin touched the edge of his jaw tenderly, checking that nothing was broken. Hit hurt like bitch but damn, did it feel like early Christmas. Brandon had just assaulted a police officer. Gavin could have protected himself, he had the capability, but he was expecting a similar reaction from Brandon, now they had a reason to take him in as well.

As on cue, Connor arrived. He frowned at the scene, noticing the angry men and the bluish shade of Gavin’s jaw. However, the only answer he got was Gavin’s shit-eating grin. “Well, gentlemen, we can continue this lovely chat at the police station.” He reached under the hem of his jacket to get the handcuffs. “Brandon Larson, you are under arrest for assaulting a police officer.”

With that one sentence, it all became clear to Connor. He didn’t even need his special software to find out what had previously happened here. Gavin used his particular charms to anger Brandon and now they could bring him in as well as Cooper. It was rather suspicious that both of them were at the clinic. Gavin must have used the opportunity. 

Connor approached the other man, seeing that Gavin had Brandon under control and was reciting him his rights. Brandon listened but as soon as Gavin finished, he was back to the insults. 

“Harry Cooper, you are under arrest based on the suspicion of being an accomplice in three murders.” Cooper backed away from Connor as the android got closer, cuffs in his hands ready for Cooper. He came to a halt when he hit his own desk behind him. There was nothing to do, no way of getting around it and Cooper soon accepted that. Even Brandon finally shut up as he heard what they were accusing Cooper of. 

.

“Harry,” Gavin started the interrogation, “how is your family?” he asked flippantly as he browsed through a file, seemingly interested in its content, but Connor knew this tactic very well. Fear and guilt. Gavin was no amateur. He watched Cooper carefully and decided on the best approach. Nothing frightened a man as much as his perfect little family hearing about his crimes. “Did you already call your wife, told her you won’t be picking up kids this evening?”

Everyone had a right for a call, but all three of them present in the interrogation room knew Cooper didn’t call anyone. He was still trying to play the innocent card, but there was a lot of things pointing his way. 

“My family is just fine.” The forced smile he put on was painfully obvious. Gavin could admit the man had a way with words, he could pull people in the direction he wanted, but he was nothing compared to Gavin or Connor, detectives who were taught in such things. 

“You have two kids, at some point you probably owned an android, isn’t that right?”

Connor briefly looked at Gavin, unsure where this was going. Gavin had an advantage of interrogating humans as opposed to Connor whose cases were more android centered. This case was something in between. The victims were androids and suspects humans. Connor was better at analyzing the scene and so he had no objections to Gavin leading the interrogation. 

“Yes, children can be quite a handful.”

“What happened to that android after the protests?”

“I don’t know. It left.” 

Gavin cocked an eyebrow at that, glancing down to skim over some files and finding just what he was looking for. “She left?”

Cooper seemed annoyed by the correction. “Yes. Maybe tried to run off to Canada or whatever.”

“That is odd, because you see, Connor here did some digging and what would you know, some of her biocomponents turned up at the black market.”

“I don’t know what happened to it after it left my home and I didn’t care.” Gavin mentally noted how he refused to use proper pronouns for the android. Once, he did the same, not caring, thinking androids were nothing but machines, but nowadays, times were different. Connor was proving to him day and night that there was more to androids than he originally anticipated. 

“Alright. Let’s move on, your wife doesn’t work, is that correct?” Gavin was far from moving on. He wasn’t ready to drop the topic of their home android just yet. He needed to stir Cooper a certain way, make him feel at ease that the android was past them already.

“Yes.”

“So when the CyberLife stores were closed, you ended up with no job, your wife wasn’t working, you still had to support two kids and somehow, somehow you found enough money to open up a clinic. It makes one wonder.”

“What is there to wonder about? I had some savings and used them.”

“But wouldn’t that be risky? Those were such turbulent times, surely it wasn’t the smartest choice to invest into new business when you had to think about family.” A silence followed Gavin’s statement. The detective had to try hard in order not to grin. He was getting to the good part. Gavin leaned closer across the table. “But I don’t think you had to worry about that. I have this theory that you sold your android in parts on the black market, in fact, you still are. Now that is profitable enough that opening up a clinic would seem like nothing.”

“I- No!” Cooper stood up with anger, but his attempt was ruined as the handcuffs didn’t allow him to move properly and he slumped back to his chair. 

“No what?” Gavin asked innocently. Connor was staring at Gavin in amazement. He had seen him try to interrogate, or try to handle an android in custody before, which, frankly, was a disaster, but this Gavin was something to behold. He was a formidable interrogator when he knew what he was doing. 

“No everything! I want to see my lawyer.” 

Gavin grinned. “Of course you do.”

Connor thought that was it, they would have to contact Cooper’s lawyer and then it would be hard to get a word out of him, but Gavin wasn’t stopping.

Gavin leaned back into his chair, crossing his hands. “I think you are a good technician, Mr Cooper, even a half decent businessman, but one thing I know you aren’t, is a murderer. Androids are different since they’ve deviated. They wouldn’t stand idly, waiting to be killed and taken apart. Ashley, on the other hand,” he looked at Cooper intently, “we know what she’s been doing and we also know she sent biocomponents of her victims to your clinic. And I’m pretty sure you know about everything that goes on under your roof. We will get Miss May eventually and I can’t wait for what she’ll have to say in her defense. We can’t forget about Mr Larson in the next room, in fact, we will have a little chat with him as soon as we are done here. The things we’ll hear… If they tell us what really happened, their sentence will be most likely shorter, but I guess there’s no point telling you that.” 

Gavin made a show of casually standing up. “You want to see your lawyer.”

There was silence as Gavin slowly walked to the door. Connor was about to stand up himself when Cooper shouted ‘Wait!’.

“Yes, Mr Cooper?” Gavin turned around but his hand was still on the knob.

“Why-” the man was nervous, “why do you want to talk to Brandon? He- he only hit you once.”

Gavin now turned to fully to face him and Connor, leaning on the wall and keeping his hands crossed as usual. “True, he did.” Gavin touched his jaw as if recalling the moment, wincing a little as he hit the still sensitive spot. “But he and Ashley are friends and she needs a friend right now, someone to get her food, money, provide a place to crash.”

Cooper gulped, but Gavin wasn’t finished. Connor could see the fire in his eyes, he was enjoying it. There was something there, that brilliant mind of his had an idea and Connor could see it in the way Gavin leaned on the wall, in the way his eyes easily followed Cooper, the way he played with his words… he had a theory that he hadn’t even told Connor about. Connor never thought of himself as impatient but at that moment, he was sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting for the moment Gavin finally revealed his ace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting to the end of this case, yay. I hope you can make it till the end with me ;) love you, guys!! Your comments are only the best and so fun to read!


	14. Final theory

“She already told us that she doesn’t pick the victims, accidentally, sure, but those were her words. The three confirmed murders all happened in a vicinity of Glesni, a night club, a place you probably don’t visit, but a place Brandon works at. Now, Ashley’s mother told us another interesting thing. Ashley works at a bar or a club and I have reasons to believe it’s Glesni she was unknowingly talking about. All the victims were male and surprise would have it, Glesni is frequented by males only. That’s where the victims got marked as a target.”

Gavin walked to the table, placing his hands on it and leaning closer to Cooper. “I think the three of you work together, Brandon picks the victim, Ashley kills the poor android, you sell the biocomponents and then you three split the profit.”

If Connor was human, his jaw would drop to the floor. He hadn’t thought of that yet, he had suspicions regarding Glesni and its proximity to the crime scenes, he was the first to point that out, but it was Gavin who connected the dots. He saw through the human greed. 

“I want a deal,” Cooper said, his face pale. He was anxiously biting his lip as Gavin kept going on and on. Gavin must have guessed something right or else Cooper wouldn’t be suddenly so scared and ready to cooperate.

“You need to give us something first,” Gavin said while taking a seat. They had him.

“She hated them, the androids. She hates them so much, and she is driven. When they said in the news that androids are alive? I’ve never seen anyone so angry, but there was something frightening about the look she had. It started with the android I had at home. Brandon and Ashley were visiting, my kids and wife were away at my in-laws and we drank quite a bit,” Cooper started his story. 

“I don’t even remember who proposed it first, but once we had that idea, we couldn’t let it go. It was haunting me in my sleep, at work, when I was with my sons. It was always at the back of my mind. And it was genius. We weren’t sure at first how much we could make out of it, but Brandon knew his way around the black market. He made some offers or whatever and the price? Oh god, that was something. We all lost our jobs at CyberLife and there was this money, this huge amount of money and no one knew about it. It was perfect. Who would care about one android when so many were being killed or destroyed?

“We all know how androids function, it was easy to get the components. I started the clinic, Brandon found that bartending job, I didn’t know about Ashley, I thought she was still studying, and that’s the truth, I heard about her and the club for the first time when you told me minutes ago. We had our salary, and money from my android’s parts, but to Brandon it wasn’t enough, he wanted more. 

“It took us hours to perfect the plan. Brandon was so eager, being a bartender would never be enough for someone like him. And Ashley, with her profound hate for androids, couldn’t be more willing. Brandon was a bit friendlier towards the lonely androids around the bar. He pretended to care, to listen and when he knew there was no one looking for them, he prepared the perfect bait. He convinced them to wait till he closed up and he made them walk with him, right into Ashley’s arms.”

“What about Frank? How does he fit into all this?” Gavin briefly interrupted him.

“Frank? Oh, that android. Well, that was Ashley’s business. I had nothing to do with that. I think she wanted to use him for something but it didn’t work out so Brandon suggested she should frame him with the thirium. I guess it didn’t work.” Cooper laughed awkwardly. 

“She killed them alone and then got you the components? Is that it?”

“Yes. I wasn’t there, it was all her, I don’t think even Brandon was there. We all did our part, but neither of us could do what Ashley does.”

“Murder, you mean?”

Cooper squirmed in his seat, uncomfortable with the word. Maybe to him it wasn’t exactly murder or maybe he just didn’t care since it wasn’t him doing it. “When I received the components from her they were cleaned. I either used them in the clinic or sold them. Brandon showed me how. We always equally split the share.”

“Thank you, Mr Cooper. You’ve been very helpful.”

“What about my deal?”

“Don’t worry, we will make sure to inform the prosecutor of your cooperation.”

“That’s it? But you promised-”

“I did no such thing. There must be a misunderstanding. I’m a detective, not a lawyer, I can’t make deals.”

Connor and Gavin left the interrogation room feeling pretty good. Cooper was older and more experienced, he had a family to think about and he could think his words through. He was the one more difficult to interrogate and break, but they had succeeded. It would be so much easier with such a temperamental and easy to rile up man like Brandon.

Gavin was about to head right into the next room and begin with Brandon but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Connor was looking at him, the corners of his lips quirking up. “When did you figure it out?”

The detective grinned at him. “That they did it together? I started suspecting something was up when I saw them together at the clinic and the call with Mrs May was really eye-opening as well. I needed Cooper to confirm it, I needed just one look. That silence after I spoke about the risk of investing in the clinic was my answer.” Gavin shrugged as if figuring it out was nothing. “Sorry I couldn’t tell you, but it would break the mood in the room I had set up if we left to chat.”

“That’s alright. Watching you work is truly something magnificent, Gavin,” Connor said with almost a blank face. There was a shadow of smile but it was hard to discern.

Connor would have sworn Gavin blushed. “Thanks?” There was a moment of quiet as they stared at each other, none of them breaking the silence. Neither of them knew what to say. Connor remained blissfully unaware of the suddenly awkward atmosphere in the hall and Gavin wasn’t sure how to react to such a compliment. He was used to silent judging from the other officers, he rarely got appreciated for his hard work.

“Stop it, prick. We still have more work to do,” Gavin said at last, but there was no spite in his words. Lately, all of the swears and names Gavin threw Connor’s way lost their meaning. It was almost a form of endearment. Connor no longer felt insulted because he knew Gavin didn’t mean to insult him. It was more of his normal vocabulary, Connor thought that half the time, Gavin didn’t even know he was actually swearing. 

“Mr Larson,” Gavin greeted the man as he and Connor took their respectful seats opposite Brandon. “How’s that hand?” Gavin asked with a grin. He was the one with a colorful jaw, but Brandon was sporting an ice-bag on his knuckles. The satisfaction it Gavin was out-of-this-world. 

“Fine.”

“Not feeling talkative today? What a shame, I had such a great conversation with your friend Mr Cooper.”

“What?” Brandon straightened up at that, his attention piqued. “My man would never snitch.”

“Snitch? What would there be to snitch?” Gavin picked at his words. He knew that was a sure way to anger Brandon. He had a sore jaw to prove it.

“Nothing.”

“Oh, and here I was, thinking that murder, selling biocomponents at a black market or luring potential victims was worth mentioning.”

“I didn’t murder anyone,” Brandon immediately jumped to his own defense. He wasn’t so quick to call for a lawyer as Cooper was.

“But you did navigate through the black market and pick the victims? I wonder why you forgot to mention that. May it be because that’s what you actually did?” Brandon was looking at him with his mouth agape. “No need to answer, Cooper already told us the whole story. Well, his side of things.”

“He wouldn’t say anything. I know Harry, he wouldn’t do it. We swor-”

“You what?” Gavin inquired as soon as Brandon stopped himself. Was he going to say they promised each to stay quiet if one of them was caught? Gavin wondered. Shame they were both caught at the same time. Brandon tried staying silent but Gavin was sure a man of his temper wouldn’t stay quiet for long. There was something in him that wouldn’t let him stay and keep being attacked without doing anything to prevent it and that was where Gavin would strike. He would pay attention to every single word Brandon said and then use it against him.

“Maybe you underestimated a family man like Cooper. He has a wife and kids to think about, unlike you or Ashley. It’s not just his life that will be affected. He told us plenty to get you both in jail. For a long, long time.”

Connor could see the panic rising in Brandon, but Gavin remained calm. Connor couldn’t wait to see how Gavin was going to make Brandon tell them his side of the story. 

“But if you told us where Ashley is…”

“I don’t know that. She-” Brandon looked at both Connor and Gavin, unsure if he was doing the right thing by telling them this, “she stayed a couple days hiding at Glesni. She went out few days ago and I haven’t seen her since, you have to believe me!”

“Was that why you risked going to the clinic? Were you concerned that something might have happened to her?”

“Of course I was freaking concerned! Those stupid androids could have hurt her!”

Brandon realized his mistake too late. “What androids, Brandon?” Gavin caught up immediately. “Why don’t you just start from the beginning and safe yourself the trouble? We already know what happened.”

“Fuck.” Brandon broke. It was faster than with Cooper, but it was what they had expected. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Please do.”

“It was Cooper’s idea, he figured all the technical shit, how to disable this and that. I showed him how to sell things through the black market and I led the unsuspecting androids to Ashley, but I wasn’t there when she killed them. She and Cooper were the masterminds. I just saw an opportunity to get richer. I don’t want to spend my life slaving away behind a dirty bar. Ashley wanted to play dress up and blame some android for it. That’s all. I didn’t even do that much.”

“Is that it? Cooper saw things a bit differently.”

“What? No, he must have lied. I’m telling the truth, you have to believe me.”

“Why would we believe you instead of him? We already know you lied to us, several times. I bet Ashley was inside that club when we came around and you were so intent on talking outside, yet you claimed not to see her often. Those are all lies.”

“No, please. He’s got a way with words. He’s the one lying.”

“We could find out who is lying if we could get the last person of your little group. Tell us where Ashley is.”

Gavin waited. It seemed like Brandon wasn’t going to answer. “Cooper didn’t hesitate to save his own ass, why should you Brandon? You think you didn’t do much? Well, you’ve done plenty. Assaulting a police officer, harboring a criminal, operating through black market and admitting to being accomplice in several murders? That doesn’t sound like nothing to me.”

“I… I may know a place,” Brandon said slowly.


	15. Time to get her

“Ashley’s roommate has like super wealthy parents. They bought her a house in Detroit but she mostly uses it during weekends for parties. I don’t know the address or her name, though. Ashley stole the keys from the place once and had me make a copy of them for her. I’d bet she’s there.”

“See, Brandon? This is exactly why I don’t really believe you. You said you didn’t know where she is but suddenly there’s a whole-ass house? You’d better hope we get Ashley, ‘cause things aren’t looking that great for you.” 

“No, I’m not lying! Why can’t you get it through your thick skull?” Brandon was losing his cool as Gavin kept poking.

“I think I understand enough.” Gavin stood up. “We’re done here for now.”

.

Gavin stood by Connor’s desk, watching the android with furrowed brows. “So?”

While Gavin went to see their captain and inform him of their progress, Connor powered up his terminal and started searching for the real estate that Brandon had mentioned. He was sure he could find the information they needed before Gavin was done talking to the captain but it seemed like he had miscalculated. “I’ve found out the roommate’s name is Jennifer Marlon. I’m still searching for the address of the house. It seems not to be registered in her name and her parents are divorced. Her father is living with his third wife. I haven’t yet gone through all of them.”

“Damn,” Gavin said as he leaned closer and over Connor’s shoulder, taking a look at the documents opened on Connor’s terminal. Connor was going through the pages extremely quickly, Gavin could barely register what was written in there. It was starting to piss him off and he was going to say something about it when he spotted a fancy-looking house on one of the flashing pictures. 

“There!” Gavin reached past Connor, hitting him in the head on accident as he poked the screen of Connor’s terminal. “Shit, sorry.” He backed away from Connor, who didn’t seem to pay much attention to the light slap. 

“That’s it, the house we’re looking for,” Gavin said. Connor ignored Gavin’s antics and scrolled back to where Gavin had pointed out the house. He clicked few more links, going from one page to the other until he finally got an address. Gavin wrote it down in an instant.

“I’m gonna tell the captain. Get ready, we’ll head out as soon as the team is ready.” They weren’t going just the two of them. Ashley had become a high-priority suspect. She was a serial killer and that wasn’t taken lightly around here. 

Gavin was putting on a bulletproof vest and walking at the same time. Connor didn’t need such precautions since he wasn’t human. His body was harder to pierce, though bullets would hurt him just as well. Still, it was unlikely Ashley would come at them fully armed. So far, she hadn’t been seen with a single gun, she was more of a bat kind of person. “Let’s go.” Gavin got into the van first, holding out his hand for Connor, who gladly took it. 

“We’re not going in the direction of the house,” Connor observed as they took another turn. He was certain the house was in the opposite way. Gavin looked at him from across the van.

“Yeah, we’re gonna make a quick stop at Ashley’s campus and talk real quick with Marlon. Can you imagine what would happen if the whole armed squad barged in and there was a bunch of teenagers there? It would be a mayhem.”

“And easy for Ashley to get lost, I see.” Connor understood the reasons. Ashley could even threaten someone, take a hostage. She was capable of murder, but would she kill another human? Connor wasn’t willing to find out and it seemed like neither was Gavin.

It was decided that Gavin and Connor should go alone. Dragging a whole team up into the dorms was really unnecessary and would draw attention. Surely some eyes were bound to turn to Gavin and his vest, but the time it would take him to put it down and then back on could be better used. 

This time around, Connor didn’t need to worry about Gavin losing it over some rude student. Gavin had a goal in mind – getting Ashley as soon as possible and nothing could rile him at that moment. 

“DPD! Open up!” Gavin was already pounding on the door of the dorm by the time Connor caught up to him. Gavin wasn’t messing around. Connor only wished Jennifer would have enough sense in her and cooperate. He knew it was very human of him to feel irritated at the thought of facing that blond woman again but he couldn’t help it. She had been all over Gavin the last time they were here. He told himself it was only because it was holding up their investigation.

“Oh, it’s you again.” Jennifer Marlon opened the door in a much better mood this time. She turned to Gavin with a dashing smile. She dismissed the bulletproof vest, Gavin’s serious expression and Connor like it was nothing. 

“Miss Marlon, we need to speak to you about-”

“So you know my name,” she leaned closer to Gavin, batting her long lashes, “did you have to research that, detective? You could have just asked if you wanted to know more about me.”

“Connor did the research. Can we talk to the point now?”

“I can talk about whatever you want me to.”

“Your house then. We have reasons to believe Ashley May is using it as her hideout. Is there possibility anyone else is in the house? I hear there are often parties. Any friends or staff that we could encounter?”

Jennifer dropped her seductive act at the mention of the house. This was concerning her directly and she didn’t like it. “Why would Ashley be there?” She said her name scornfully. “No one is there. Only I have the keys.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Ashley stole your keys at some point in the past and had a copy made out of them. If you say no one is in there, we’ll be on our way.”

Gavin had all the information he needed and so he backed away from the door, however Jennifer had other plans. She caught him by the strap of his vest, holding him in place. She was quite tall, almost equal in height to Connor, but he knew that if Gavin wanted he could get rid of her hand without breaking a sweat. “Wait a second. Why don’t you come over, detective, and we can chat properly?”

That was the woman Connor remembered and was so irritated by. He had been standing a little further behind Gavin, letting him take charge of the situation, but he wasn’t going to tolerate this. He stepped closer to the pair. “Please unhand my partner before I consider it harassment, Miss Marlon. If you have any questions about your estate, I will address them. If not, we have a dangerous criminal to catch and you are wasting our time.”

Gavin turned to him with wide eyes. It was uncharacteristic of Connor to talk to witnesses or suspects in such a passive aggressive manner. Something was up with him, but he couldn’t ask in front of Jennifer. 

Jennifer seemed to get the memo as she dropped her hand as if burned. Connor could be pretty intimidating when he wanted to and he sure as hell wasn’t scared of Jennifer. “Christ, I wasn’t really doing anything.” She walked back into her dorm. “I don’t care if you go into the house, but I’ll make sure none of my friends get there. Feel free to break the doors, I guess I’ll be needing new ones anyway,” muttering that, Jennifer closed the door. 

Now that it was just the two of them in the hall, Gavin looked at Connor. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this annoyed. What’s up with you?”

“She was making you uncomfortable,” Connor said without missing a beat. He was always truthful when around people he knew. He disliked lying, though he knew that sometimes lying was unavoidable in his job. However, with people like Hank or Gavin, Connor could be honest.

He saw Gavin’s temper rising even before Gavin had the chance to open his mouth. It was the way his eyes hardened and his expression got blank and then he pursed his lips. Connor had a special software that enabled him to read human expressions better than any android model before him. It was supposed to help him with interrogations, but it was useful in daily life too. He found himself noticing Gavin’s expressions more and more.

“And frustrated.”

“What?” Gavin was dumbfounded by Connor’s sudden comments. He wanted to be angry, but more than that, he was confused. “What are you getting at?”

“You don’t seem to like her much and she was touching you, on top of that, you couldn’t just slap her hand off because we need her cooperation on this case. Hence uncomfortable and frustrated,” Connor explained.

Gavin straightened, the anger gone. Connor wasn’t trying to insult him. Gavin should have known, Connor never meant to offend anyone, he was just frank. At this point it was almost ridiculous how Gavin could have even thought that Connor was trying to insinuate that he was defenseless against Jennifer. “I guess. I don’t like women like her, all up in your face. Hell no.”

They walked side by side back to the police van parked outside that was waiting for them. “What kind of women do you like then?” Connor asked. It was a simple question and there was no hidden agenda behind it. Connor was curious, especially when it came to Gavin. The detective was pretty guarded and around the station, everyone knew him as the temperamental one who loved to cuss, but there wasn’t much more. Connor had never seen him with or heard him talk about women.

“None.” Gavin shot him a quick glance, clearing his throat. “I don’t like women.”

“Oh, I see, so you have a preference for ma-”

“Get a move on, Connor, they’re waiting for us.” Connor recognized Gavin’s defense immediately. So this wasn’t really something he talked about. Anything too personal wasn’t something he talked about, but Connor would respect the boundaries Gavin had set.

.

“Alright, everyone. Is the plan clear? We block the road and all entrances. We call her out and if she doesn’t go on her own we enter.” Gavin was assigned the role of the leading commander in this case. Their captain trusted him in apprehending the serial killer. It was a huge trust and responsibility put into Gavin’s skills, but Connor had no doubt everything would go as planned. If not, he would help Gavin in any way. They had to accomplish this mission.

A wave of agreement sounded and with that they were off, dividing into assigned teams and patrols. Ashley wasn’t going anywhere. Gavin grabbed the megaphone. “DPD! Ashley May, you are under arrest. Exit the building or we will go in!” His voice echoed through space. There was no way she didn’t hear it if she was inside. 

Gavin repeated himself several times, but as they expected, Ashley didn’t budge, but she also wasn’t staying inside. Through the coms, a voice of another officer sounded. Gavin answered right away. Ashley had thought she could escape through the back entrance, but the other team was waiting and ready to get her. 

“Ashley May.” Gavin and the other met with the other team who was carrying quietly glaring Ashley, she seemed to have no more fight in her. “You are under arrest for three murders,” Gavin was saying with an awful lot of satisfaction. Connor could feel with him, he too, was ecstatic that they had finally caught her.

Just like everyone they had arrested, Ashley was told her rights and then moved to an interrogation room right away. While most of the guys, including Connor and Gavin were returning to the station with Ashley, few officers stayed behind to search the house. The detectives were confident they would get a confession out of her, she was the type that liked to brag about her crimes like they were something revolutionary, but solid evidence with fingerprints and everything was always welcomed in the court. 

Both Larson and Cooper were currently in the holding cells and so the interrogation rooms were free to use. Ashley was placed in one immediately. 

“So Ashley, do you want to spare us the trouble and just confess?” Gavin tried the easiest way, to be honest, he was kind of tired. It was getting pretty late and he had led two interrogations already, not to mention talking to Jennifer and getting Ashley. Well, he would much rather do all the interrogations than talk to Jennifer.

Ashley wasn’t speaking, her eyes on Connor. Her look was unnerving Gavin, he couldn’t imagine what Connor was feeling. This woman had tried to kill him and would have succeeded if Gavin got there just minutes later. No. He couldn’t think about that and let it affect this interrogation. Connor was right beside him, he was fine. Gavin was probably stressing more than Connor himself, he sure didn’t let anything show on his face. 

“Alright, can’t blame a guy for trying,” Gavin shrugged. The harder way it was. “We already got confessions from both of your friends. We know all that you did and we can prove it, now we just need to know why. Why, Ashley? What was the motive? Do you hate androids that much? Enough to throw your life away for killing few of them?”

More silence.

“We have heard two versions of the story, they do wary a bit, but the basics are the same. You killed the androids that Brandon got to you. You took their biocomponents, cleaned them of the thirium and sent them off to Cooper to take care of. I get it, times are tough and it was a good way to make big money. Sure. But why mutilate the bodies? There was no need for that.”

Ashley was a tough nut to crack, Gavin had to admit that, but they had plenty of time. If she could just stop glaring at Connor. She didn’t even once look at Gavin while he was talking. It felt like talking to a brick wall. 

“Aren’t you gonna say anything for yourself? At all?”

After a moment of another silence, Gavin figured this wasn’t going to work. He looked at Connor, prompting him to say something. He knew Connor was a great detective just as well, but now he needed him because he was an android, and one that had history with Ashley. He was counting on her hate towards androids. She would be unable to take it. 

“You seemed to have a lot to say the last time we met,” Connor started, understanding what Gavin needed from him. “The message you wanted to spread, I think you still do, is dead. You were caught and you aren’t getting out there. Based on the laws you could have just as well killed three humans.”

That was when she finally broke her silence.


	16. Interrogation of the day

“You dare compare your filthy self to a human? There is nothing humane about you but your face. Not even your skin is human, it may look like it and feel like it but I know what it is. I know about every piece that makes up your body, you are no human,” she scoffed at him, spitting the words like venom.

“You are right, I’m an android.”

“And you, you human traitor.” She wasn’t stopping now not even when Connor tried to step in. “How can you work with this? I was so sure you would let it die. I underestimated you two, thought human and android wouldn’t work so well together. You should’ve let it die, why bother saving it, when they are all the same? You just got lucky anyways. I doubt you have the technical knowhow for fixing an android.”

Gavin was aware of that. He knew it was just luck that he had put the thirium pump the right way in. He could have messed up and Connor would be gone. Without CyberLife operating like it used to, Connor wouldn’t just come back the next day like nothing had happened. The thought scared him. If Chris or Tina got shot, he would know how to stop the bleeding. Or at least how to try to stop the bleeding. With Connor it was pure guessing and guessing when Connor’s life was at stake was dangerous. 

“I may not know all the fancy shit you do, but I know Connor is more of a human than you. I’d trust him with my life, you I wouldn’t trust with getting me a cup of coffee. You think you are so much better than them? You don’t even begin to measure up. I’d pick Connor over someone like you.”

“Of course I’m better! I actually have a heart! A human beating heart.”

“That’s just a piece of muscle,” Gavin couldn’t help but point out.

Ashley shrugged her shoulder. “But it’s alive. Truly living. His creation was a perfect imitation, but imitation is not the same as original. I know he made them for us to use and the revolution was the last piece of his grand plan. He did it to free us from our chains but we have failed him. We let them win but it wasn’t his intention. But I know what he wanted and I did it. I broke free and others will do too when they see my work.”

Gavin was staring at her, unsure how to react to that. She was out of it. The woman was insane. She was speaking of this person like they were a god. Gavin suddenly realized he knew one person that could be considered god, a man of the century, and his stomach dropped.

“Who are you talking about?” He needed to be sure.

“Don’t act like you don’t know. He is- he is-” her eyes shone, “he is more than a simple human. There will never be anyone just like him. His power, his mind…”

“Are you referring to Elijah Kamski?” Connor asked.

“Who else would she be referring? Of course it’s about Kamski. Isn’t it always?” Gavin rolled his eyes. He disliked androids or used to, Connor was more than aware of that, but more than androids, Gavin hated the man that was behind their creation. 

“Don’t be so disrespectful. His name doesn’t belong in the mouth of a traitor.”

“Girl, you are so out of it. I will speak of him however I want. Some sycophant like you won’t stand in my way. Kamski is no god. If you’ve seen all the shit I had, you wouldn’t think of him that way.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gavin laughed. Connor heard him laugh many times around the station. Genuinely when he was joking around with Chris, sarcastically when making fun of him in the past. He also had a fake laugh reserved for interrogations and suspects, but this laugh, it was unlike anything Connor had ever heard from him. It was sick and cruel, filled with mirth and disbelief. It was like he knew more than he was telling them. But how could Gavin know Kamski?

“Alright, yeah, totally,” Gavin said through his laughter, wiping the tears in his eyes. Connor was looking at him with a bit of worry. “Think what you will, it doesn’t change a thing.”

“I refuse to speak with you. You are worse than androids.” 

“Oh, please.” Gavin stood up, crossed his arms and leaned in the corner of the interrogation. “You can talk to Connor, by all means.”

“Connor, huh. So odd, don’t you think? That you should have such human name. I had a classmate once, his name was Connor as well. The name fitted him. It’s a good name, for a human. You should be nothing more than letters and numbers, but you now have another name, don’t you? Anderson, I did my research. You aren’t the only ones capable of that in the room.”

“And what did you find?” Connor thought that engaging her was better than the silence. As long as she was speaking, they could get information out of her, no matter how long it would take or in how many circles they would go.

“There’s also a certain Lieutenant Anderson. Are you supposed to be a replacement for his dead son? I suppose the kid is better off dead. Can you imagine how he would feel about being replaced by an android of all things?”

“Alright, we get it. You can stop now. Talking about someone’s dead kid, that’s low even for a murderer.” Gavin may not like Hank, but he wasn’t going to tolerate such jokes. He wasn’t heartless. 

“I thought you wanted me to talk. Seems like nothing is good enough for you.”

“Back-talking will get you nowhere. Why don’t you tell us something about Cooper and Larson? You sure do talk a lot about them to your mother.”

“My mother? What does she have to do with any of this?”

“I spoke with her. She was sad you don’t call that often anymore. But she gave us a lot. In fact, without her help we probably wouldn’t be able to get you. You should really thank her, she is a reasonable woman, she knows this is best for you.”

“No, you are lying. She wouldn’t do this to me.”

Gavin returned to his seat. “What is it with you and Brandon? I guess you’re too young to understand real life. Your belief that your friends won’t betray you is kind of sweet but naïve. Everyone in this world thinks of themselves first. Though I admit, your mother had your best interest in mind, still she was willing to give you up.”

“Don’t bring Brandon into this. Cooper and I planned it, he was in it just for the money, he didn’t really do anything.”

“We heard a different version from Cooper. Out of those two, Cooper is the more trustworthy one. Unless you tell us how it went down, Brandon is going to be in quite a mess.”

“Don’t you touch him! Cooper came up with the plan, I perfected it so there would be no traces. He wanted me to frame Frank, not Brandon. I asked Brandon to help me out with picking up the victims, but he didn’t do anything illegal by talking to them. They agreed to go with him! He didn’t do anything wrong!”

“What about the black market?”

“Cooper uses it, Brandon showed him how, but Cooper is the one actually using it.”

“You are quick to defend Brandon, but you don’t care throwing Cooper under the bus in the process. I wonder why that is.”

“You said it yourself, Cooper was the first snitch. That lying bastard deserves what’s coming his way.”

“Sure, but there is more, isn’t it?”

Ashley was quite fired up since Brandon had been mentioned. Even Connor noticed her sudden willingness to discuss the matters. It was rather not-worthy. Now, however, the fire left her eyes. She appeared shy, looking to the table instead of either Connor or Gavin. 

“Could it be because you like him just a tad more?” Gavin pressed. She continued burning a hole into the table. “You know he’s gay, right?”

Ashley leveled him with the look Gavin knew well. “So? He just hasn’t realized what I can give him. I can make him straight.”

“That’s not how it works, Ashley,” Connor said. Gavin wanted to say something back to her, probably something rather rude. He looked up at Connor, but the android wasn’t looking at him. 

“How would an android know?”

“More than you, it seems,” Gavin said instead of what he originally planned. Connor handled the situation just fine. He didn’t need Gavin ruining it by insulting Ashley’s intelligence, but he couldn’t have helped himself. At this point Gavin wasn’t sure who was trying to rile up whom, he or Ashley. Connor was the only calm one in the room. 

Gavin had to remind himself that this wasn’t about him, that Ashley couldn’t know he was gay. Not many people knew. Gavin had been surprised at himself that he had actually come out to Connor. He didn’t want to think what would happen if Anderson knew, but he didn’t think Connor would run to the lieutenant and tell him. Even if the two of them were close.

“Let’s backtrack a bit. You remember Frank, the android you kept chained up in a storage room? How did it end up there?” Gavin decided not to waste Connor’s efforts. Thy still had to get some things straight. Thought they had most of the facts figured out already.

“As if you don’t know already.”

“Isn’t that literally how I started this interrogation? By telling you we already know? Just tell us so we can get this over with.”

“Frank was an easy target. I had their address and there was just a pair of old people in that house. I got him with no trouble, but getting him out of the house was harder. Still, a CyberLife worker with an android? Nothing odd to see in the streets at that time. I wanted to sell the thirium, but I didn’t really get around to it and when Cooper found out about Frank, he wanted to use him. It seemed smart so I agreed and used the thirium just before I left.”

“Left what?”

“The place where I killed them, obviously.”

Both Gavin and Connor straightened in their chairs. They were getting to a confession, at last. “So you admit you have killed the three androids?” 

“No.”

“C’mon, Ashley. Just say the words. Or are you suddenly not so sure about your holy mission? Are you trying to back away from this? But what about your message?”

There was that fire again. “I am sure. I did it. I killed them and it felt so good. I’ve never felt so free.” 

“Thank you. Now, couldn’t we have begun with that?” Gavin had to say it. The crazy look didn’t leave Ashley, though she glared at him as well. It was quite a terrifying sight. They were officially done. The case was solved.

.

Connor drove this time. He could tell Gavin was pretty tired but didn’t want to admit it. The man was running purely on the victory. There was no high such as finally getting the criminal you were after. 

“This calls for a celebration,” Gavin told Connor when he parked in front of Gavin’s place. “I got some beers upstairs, c’mon Connor, what better plans could you have?”

“I indeed don’t have better plans.”

“See?” Gavin grinned at him. 

“I can’t drink.”

“What?”

“Androids can’t eat or drink. We weren’t built with this function, however there are certain models with resemblance to human children that can consume food. It’s not for the purpose of gaining energy but so they would copy the needs of children.”

“Huh, okay. Now that you say it I can’t recall you ever drinking anything. We can still celebrate, though. More beers for me.” Gavin shrugged. “Besides, I think Kit Kat misses you. That little devil met you once and already likes you more than me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not finished. I'm thinking one more chapter, but not an end for this duo just yet.
> 
> Thank you guys for your still growing support. <3


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